Chad Taylor was honored by the Chehalis City Council on Monday in City Hall during his last official meeting earlier this month. Five applicants are seeking to fill his seat.
Five candidates submitted applications to fill the vacancy on the Chehalis City Council after former mayor pro-tem Chad Taylor, who bought The Chronicle, resigned earlier this month.
The applicants include Michael Bannan, Eric Carlson, Terry Harris, Katherine McDougall and Lindsey Senter.
The candidates will be interviewed at a special meeting at 5 p.m. on March 1. The city councilors will receive the candidates’ applications a few days prior to the special meeting and are expected to select the new councilor on the evening of March 1.
Each of the five councilors and the mayor will ask the candidates a question during the interviews. The details of the interviews, including whether they will be held virtually or in-person, will be decided at the regular city council meeting on Feb. 22 at 5 p.m.
“We anticipate that the person will be sworn in at the regular city council meeting on Monday, March 8,” Chehalis City Manager Jill Anderson said.
The selected candidate will serve the rest of the term, which expires on Dec. 31, 2021. If the chosen replacement wishes to continue serving on the council, they must run in the November election.
“There was also an application received by an individual who lived outside the city limits in the UGA. The person is not eligible to serve because of the residency requirement, so that person’s application has been excluded,” Anderson said.
The last time the Chehalis City Council had to fill an unexpired term was in October 1996, according to Chehalis City Clerk Caryn Foley.
