LYNNWOOD — The Lynnwood City Council appointed Eduardo dos Remedios to fill the vacant Position 5 seat on council.
The council voted 5-1 to appoint dos Remedios during its Oct. 18 special meeting. Councilman Loren Simmonds was the lone dissenter.
“It’s good to be on the council and I appreciate the votes from the other council members,” dos Remedios said.
Dos Remedios was one of three finalists for the position. The other two were Bob Young and Brad Scott.
Councilman Jim Smith said all three finalists were “very qualified and had obvious passion for the well being of the city.”
Smith said he would have been happy with appointing any of the three top candidates, but dos Remedios’ experience and the city’s budget crunch played into his decision.
“This year we are in a unique predicament with the administration’s failed financial practices,” he said. “My decision was based on Mr. dos Remedios’ council experience, financial background and his positioning to hit the ground running. Last night we saw those traits soon after he was sworn in and seated.”
The seat’s term expires upon certification of the November 2011 election.
Dos Remedios’ priorities include the city’s financial woes, maintaining a balanced budget with a minimum of extra taxes, preserving infrastructure through organized growth and offering residents a high level of city services.
“My biggest goal is to get this budget resolved to get on with the business of the city,” he said.
To fill the city’s $21 million deficit, dos Remedios recommends preparing a biennial budget to blend balanced budgets without using fund balances transferred into the general fund. Additionally, he suggests working with department directors to offer the optimal level of staffing, implementing new taxes and higher rates and fees and reducing city staff’s salaries and benefits.
Dos Remedios has lived in Lynnwood more than 25 years. He is retired and spent more than 30 years in accounting, finance and administration. He is a Civil Service Commissioner for the city and served as a charter member of the Lynnwood Diversity Task Force and was appointed to serve on City Council for two years.
Dos Remedios said he would like to keep city projects moving along toward completion.
“Issues that were present when I came on board, like the City Center, are still there,” he said.
The seat opened in September, when former Councilwoman Stephanie Wright was appointed to fill a seat on County Council. That seat was vacated by Mike Cooper, who went to Edmonds to fill the mayoral seat left open when Gary Haakenson was tapped as deputy county executive for Snohomish County.
Earlier this month, the council interviewed eight candidates out of the 14 who applied to fill the position.
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