LAKE STEVENS — Talk about wanting to get involved in guiding their community.
After the city’s new mayor was chosen in November, a position on the Lake Stevens City Council opened up. Fifteen people applied to fill the spot. That list was narrowed to six, and in the end Steve Ewing was chosen by the council.
Ewing takes over Mayor-elect Brett Gailey’s council position with two years remaining in the term.
Gailey, Ewing and three other new city councilmembers were sworn in last week.
The number of people who showed interest in the opening was high, city administrator Gene Brazel said.
“In my career I have never seen that many applications,” Brazel said. “I was super excited to receive them — it says people want to be part of the community, that they’re excited about what’s going on.”
Ewing, who has lived in Lake Stevens since 2005, was appointed to the city’s planning commission last year and works for the Washington State Department of Corrections.
He also ran for a spot on the Lake Stevens City Council during the November general election.
The other finalists were Kurt Hilt, Rauchel McDaniel, Carolyn Bennett, Joyce Copley and Michele Hampton.
Hilt ran for mayor, as well, and his position on the city council expires at the end of the year. Ultimately, he decided to withdraw his name from the application process, Brazel said.
McDaniel also is on the city council but was not re-elected in November. Anji Jorstad is set to take over that spot.
Bennett mounted a campaign for the primary election to be considered for city council but did not move forward to the general election.
Copley has lived in Lake Stevens since 2006 and works for the planning department in the city of Shoreline. She hoped to join the council to bring a different perspective, she wrote in a letter of interest.
Hampton is on a few city committees and is vice president and grand parade chair of Aquafest. She had wanted to join the council to serve her community, her application said.
Along with Jorstad, Mary Dickinson and Shawn Frederick were voted into council positions in November.
Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.
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