EVERETT — Leadership on the Everett City Council this year will stay with longtime councilwomen Brenda Stonecipher and Judy Tuohyafter bids to install new faces fell short.
Stonecipher has been on the council 19 years. Last year she served as the council president, a position that helps set the weekly meeting agenda and serves as the mayor pro tem.
But this will be Stonecipher’s last year on the council after she announced Wednesday night during the council meeting she will not seek re-election this fall.
This year, second-year council member Paula Rhyne was nominated by council member Mary Fosse. Rhyne’s bid fell short with only three votes, the third coming from council member Liz Vogeli.
Council members Don Schwab, Ben Zarlingo and Tuohy backed Stonecipher’s nomination.
“I look forward to serving all of you,” Stonecipher said.
Everett City Council members are set to make $2,511 per month this year. The council president gets another $9,000.
Judy Tuohy
Tuohy also served as vice president last year, and will do so again this year after getting the same council member support as Stonecipher.
Fosse nominated Rhyne for the vice president position as well. She said moving a less-experienced member there to learn from those with more time on the council would benefit the legislative body as a whole.
“My concern is that we’re missing an opportunity here as we did this last round of having one of the new council members learn while we have a very experienced council member in leadership,” Fosse said.
Vogeli initially nominated herself but withdrew it after no one else seconded the motion. She left the council meeting after the vote and did not return to the council chamber.
“I’m sure we will continue to work collaboratively,” Vogeli told The Daily Herald.
Vogeli said she plans to propose codifying the rotation of the leadership positions among the council during its upcoming annual retreat.
Ben Watanabe: 425-339-3037; bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @benwatanabe.
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