Note change in date when applications will be accepted.

Story and photo by Doug Petrowski

At its July 2 meeting, the Mountlake Terrace City Council finalized the timeline for filling the vacancy on the council created by Michelle Robles’ resignation from Position 5 on June 28. Applicants for the post will be interviewed at a special City Council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 14, with the appointment and swearing in of the new councilmember on Monday, Aug. 20.

The city will be accepting applications for the position beginning Monday, July 23 for three weeks until 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 13.

The newly-selected councilmember will serve a little more than 15 months, after which they will run for a special election on the general election ballot November 5, 2013. The November 2013 election winner will take the seat as soon as the results are certified.

Applications for the position will be available at temporary City Hall, 6100-219th St. S.W., Ste. 200, and online at www.cityofmlt.com. Completed applications will be accepted via email to cityhall@ci.mlt.wa.us or by mail to City of Mountlake Terrace, Attn: Office of the City Clerk, 6100-219th St. S.W., Ste. 200, Mountlake Terrace, WA, 98043.

Under Washington state law, applicants must be at least 18 years of age, a United States citizen without any felony convictions, and a registered voter who has lived within the Mountlake Terrace city limits since Aug. 20, 2011, or longer.

The city plans to post notice of the council vacancy and subsequent process for filling the post via news releases, cable TV public channel announcements, social media and notices at temporary City Hall, the Mountlake Terrace Library, the Recreation Pavilion and the Post Office.

City officials are well-acquainted with the procedure for filling a vacant city council position, having gone through it in December, 2007 and again in January 2008. At that time, eleven candidates were interviewed for the two positions. Current council members Kyoko Matsumoto-Wright and Rick Ryan first took their seats on the council as appointees for those two vacancies.

There will be no shortage of applicants for the current vacant post on the council. Eight individuals have already told MLTnews that they are either applying for consideration to the position, or thinking seriously of doing so.

Interested candidates will have a series of questions to answer in the application, then face a 15-minute interview conducted by current council members at the Aug. 20 special meeting.

Members of the Mountlake Terrace City Council receive $800 per month and participate in the Cities Municipal Employee’s Benefits Trust for temporary employees.