During two separate meetings Tuesday, Sept. 20, the Edmonds City Council will finalize its process for appointing a new councilmember to replace first-term Councilmember Laura Johnson, who resigned from her Position 7 seat last week, and will also hold two public hearings. One of those hearings is on proposed permanent design standards for multifamily buildings in the BD2 zone, while other one will focus on the proposed street vacation of an unopened alley located south of Fir Street in downtown Edmonds.
Regarding the process for filling the Position 7 vacancy, which the council will discuss in a special meeting starting at 6:15 p.m. Sept. 20, the agenda memo for that meeting notes that this will be a new selection process, rather than a continuation of the process just used to fill Position 1. That vacancy occurred with the death of Councilmember Kristiana Johnson July 18; the council received 17 applications for the Position 1 opening and ended up appointing Dave Teitzel Sept. 6.
Laura Johnson resigned Sept. 13. She announced in late August that she had sold her home and was planning to move out of the area.
Applicants who previously applied for Position 1 are eligible to be considered for Position 7, the agenda memo says, but won’t be required to go through the interview process again. Those applicants “may request by email to the council executive assistant Beckie.Peterson@edmondswa.gov that their previous application with attachments of questions, resume and/or cover letter be considered in the process for Position #7.”
The proposed process for the Position 7 appointment specifies that the previous application and information sheet be used again (updated to reflect Position 7, timeline details and adding a date of birth to application, among other changes). The supplemental questions will be the same.
The application is scheduled to be posted to the city website between Sept. 21 and Sept. 23, with an application deadline of noon Wednesday, Oct. 5. Councilmembers will receive the redacted applications as part of the Oct. 11 agenda packet for the Public Safety, Planning, Human Services and Personnel Committee meeting.
The same interview questions will be used again, with newly appointed Councilmember Teitzel asking the question posed by former Councilmember Laura Johnson.
All new applicants will be interviewed during a special meeting or meetings conducted set between Oct. 12-15. The selection will be made during a special council meeting to be scheduled between Oct. 17-21.
You can see the complete agenda for the 6:15 p.m. Sept. 20 meeting to discuss this process here. Note that it will be preceded by a 15-minute executive session on pending or potential litigation, closed to the public.
During the regular business meeting, starting at 7 p.m., the public will have a chance to weigh in during a public hearing on proposed permanent design standards for multifamily buildings in downtown Edmonds’ BD2 zone.
The city council in June unanimously approved an ordinance outlining interim design standards for BD2. The draft permanent standards — which include some modifications from the council-approved interim measures — were recommended by the Edmonds Architectural Design Board and Planning Board.
The standards are aimed at addressing concerns prompted by a 24-unit apartment building proposed for the 600 block of Main Street, located in the BD2 zone.
Also on the 7 p.m. business meeting agenda:
– A resolution of appreciation to Councilmember Laura Johnson
– A park land acquisition report
– A work plan for rewriting the city’s development code
– 2022 September budget amendments
– Award of a construction contract for the Seaview Park Infiltration Facility Phase 2 Project
– A proposal to extend the contract with Lighthouse Law Group, which provides city attorney services via contract.
The in-person location for these meetings is the council chambers, Public Safety Complex, 250 5th Ave. N. Those who want to attend virtually can click on or paste the following Zoom meeting link into a web browser using a computer or smart phone: https://zoom.us/j/95798484261. Or you can comment by phone: US: +1 253 215 8782 Webinar ID: 957 9848 4261
Regular council meetings beginning at 7 p.m. are streamed live on the Council Meeting webpage, Comcast channel 21, and Ziply channel 39.
Thank you Teresa Wippel for always keeping the citizens of Edmonds updated in detail of what is happening and what is about to happen on every issue. I greatly appreciate the links you provide also which makes it so much simpler for all of we citizens. You truly do have a diverse and open newspaper. Deb.
I strongly agree with Deborah’s comment. We need to have a Wippel Way named in honor of Teresa’s work.
Thanks everyone but there are so many in this community who do amazing things. I am grateful to be part of it.
Ditto on Deborah Arthur’s comment!
Thank you.
A free and independent Press is a key factor in the preservation and continuation of any democracy. Tyrants and wanna be tyrants always declare the free press an “enemy of the state” and move to control and manipulate the press as soon as they get any amount of power. Teresa and people like her are a national treasure and need our support and protection, or we will lose our freedoms forever. There will always be hoards of insecure and scared people who will sell their souls for a sense of false security. They are the real enemy to our way of life and always will be. The fight for freedom never ends.
Teresa,
I feel compelled to echo what the other commenters have said. You and your team have done and continue to do an amazing service for our community. I admire your dedication, professionalism and quest for factual reporting. And you must be nuclear powered: I’ve lost count of the number of times you have been in the front row of Council meetings that last until 11:00 p.m.!