The Airway Heights City Council got a glimpse of the next council member at the July 21 meeting.
Four candidates submitted applications for the vacant City Council Position 3 held by Barron Williamson before he moved to Atlanta to take a new job.
Three of the applicants, Thomas Shirey, Michael States and Jack Collins attended the meeting to answer questions from the City Council.
Shirey, a Washington State trooper and retiree from the Washington National Guard, said he wants to bring more jobs to the city to reduce the unemployment rate. He also wants to encourage residents to come to town hall meetings and bring their concerns before the City Council.
States, a resident of Airway Heights for five years with a military background, said he also wants to bring jobs to the city and anything else he can do to help the community.
Collins, a volunteer firefighter for the city’s Fire Department, said being on the City Council would help him give back to the community. He added that he would like to use social media as a way to engage the community.
The fourth candidate, Sabrina Peterson, who volunteers with various organizations throughout the community, could not attend the meeting because of a death in the family. Mayor Patrick Rushing read a statement from Peterson, who wrote that she would like to focus on the children in the city and feels that she would be a valuable asset on the council.
After they interviewed the candidates, the City Council went into a 10-minute executive session to discuss their options. When the meeting resumed, Rushing said the council wanted to interview Peterson in person.
“If you felt the way we do, and you were put in the same position as she was and had a death in the family and were called out of town, you would hope that our council would treat you just as fairly,” Rushing said.
Rushing said the council hopes to interview Peterson at the Aug. 4 meeting and appoint the new member to City Council that evening.
In other business:
● Harold White, Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance and traffic supervisor, gave a proposal for Highway 2 improvements.
● The City Council approved the purchase of a CXT restroom for Sunset Park.
● The council also approved an amendment to the agreement between the city and Spokane West Rotary to create a community splash pad in Sunset Park.
● The City Council approved a resolution for the submission of a proposed emergency medical care and services levy at the next general election in November 2014.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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