PORT ANGELES — The City Council will discuss Tuesday, at its first meeting of the year, how it will appoint a replacement to the seat Larry Little relinquished Thursday, city spokeswoman Teresa Pierce said.
Citing his wife’s cancer and chemotherapy treatments and the needs of his family, which includes three teenage children, Little resigned from the council seat he won in the Nov. 3 general election.
The council will hold its first public session of 2010 at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
State law requires the six council members to appoint a replacement within 90 days, said Bill Bloor, city attorney.
Bloor said the process for finding a replacement would be the same if Little resigned before he took his oath of office last Tuesday.
He said state law requires that an election be held for the position during the city’s next general election, which would be in November 2011.
The winner of that election would serve for the next two years, Bloor said. In all other situations, Port Angeles City Council members serve four-year terms.
State law does not require the City Council to seek applicants or conduct interviews, he said, adding, “In a typical process, they would ask for applicants.”
“They might interview or they might not,” Bloor said. “But they would have to do their selection in an open public meeting.”
Little said Friday that he has spoken to no one about applying for the open council position.
Betsy Wharton, a friend of the Little family, who was asked while being interviewed about Little’s resignation if she was considering applying for the seat, said that she didn’t know.
Wharton lost by a narrow margin to Brooke Nelson in November after serving four years on the council.
“This is new information,” she said Friday, adding that she will wait to make a decision.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@ peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz contributed to this report.
