Watch: District 4 replacements interviewed for council seat
Apr 15, 2019, 7:59 AM | Updated: 9:41 pm
As part of the process to fill Rob Johnson’s vacant city council seat, the 13 eligible applicants for the role participated in a public forum Monday.
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The forum was moderated by “City Inside/Out” host Brian Callanan. Community groups and audience members were permitted to ask the candidates questions over a three-hour period.
Next will be a special council meeting on Wednesday, April 17 at 5:30 p.m., where candidates will each have the chance to present a three-minute presentation, and field questions from council members.
City Council will vote to fill the vacancy on Monday, April 22, as part of the regularly scheduled 2 p.m. session.
The full list of applicants was released last week. In a memo announcing the initial process for filling the vacancy, Council President Bruce Harrell noted that it would be “practical” to find a candidate qualified to fill Johnson’s role as the chair of the Planning, Land Use and Zoning committee.
Among the eligible candidates, there is significant experience in the realm of urban planning and zoning. That includes property lawyer Darby DuComb, architect Jay Lazerwitz, City of Seattle Senior Urban Planner Bruce Rips, and land use consultant Kathryn Gardow.
Harrell also expressed a desire to appoint a caretaker for the vacancy “who agrees not to seek election to the council this year.” Current District 4 council candidate Abel Pacheco Jr. applied to fill Johnson’s vacancy, but has expressed he won’t file for election if appointed.
