Three vie for Monroe council seat

MONROE — A Boeing mechanic, a planning board member and the wife of a former council member want to be appointed to the seat of a city councilwoman who stepped down last month.

The candidates are Kevin Hanford, the mechanic; Jim Kamp, who serves on the planning commission; and Jill Ruth, who married to former council member Mitch Ruth.

The City Council plans to appoint one of the three at the next council meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers, 806 W. Main St.

The successful candidate will replace Margie Rodriguez, who left May 31 after accepting a job outside the city limits. Her term expires Dec. 31.

Three other people have filed as candidates for the position in November’s general election. They are Councilwoman Bridgette Tuttle, Jason Gamble and Joey Santone.

Each candidate is scheduled to give a five-minute presentation and answer questions from the council, city administrator Gene Brazel said.

Afterward, the council will hold an executive session and then vote in open session. The council could then appoint the new member.

All the candidates have ties to the city government.

Kevin Hanford, 40, works as mechanic for the Boeing Co. He has lived in the Monroe area for 16 years; the last year and a half within the city limits. His father volunteers as a chaplain for the police and fire departments.

Jim Kamp has been a member of the city planning commission since February 2010. Kamp, 54, works as a computer consultant for AT&T and represents the Sultan-Monroe Masons at the Chamber of Commerce. He has been living in Monroe for more than 14 years.

Jill Ruth, 42, is self-employed as a hairstylist and is studying business at the University of Phoenix. She is married to Mitch Ruth, who was councilman from 2004 to 2009 and ran for mayor in his last year against current Mayor Robert Zimmerman. She is the president of the Monroe Rotary. She has lived in Monroe since 1993.

Kamp and Hanford also have filed to run for other council seats in the general election.

Council members earn a maximum of $100 for each meeting with a maximum of four meetings a month.