New Bainbridge councilmember will likely join council in April

The Bainbridge Island City Council will consider a six-week process to find a new councilmember.

Matt Tirman resigned from the seven-member council and his last day was Feb. 28.

At this week’s city council meeting, the council will look at a proposed timeline for finding an appointee for the South Ward, Position 3 seat on the council.

According to a draft timeline for filling the council vacancy, the city expects to give potential applicants four weeks to respond to a call for applications.

The vacancy will be advertised on the city website, at city hall, in the city manager’s report and a display ad in the Bainbridge Review.

The deadline for applications will be set for sometime in April, with candidate interviews to be scheduled for a special city council meeting next month that will also include the selection of finalists.

In week six of the proposed process for filling the vacancy, the finalists will be interviewed at a special council meeting, with the council picking a new councilmember following the process established in 2018 for the appointment of Leslie Schneider to the council. Or, the city may adopt another process that has not yet been set out.

The candidate chosen for the seat would then be sworn in at the next council meeting.

To be eligible to fill the seat, volunteers must have resided in the city of Bainbridge Island for at least one year prior to the council’s appointment, and must currently reside within the South Ward. Candidates must also be registered to vote.

Once appointed, the new councilmember will serve until the results of the November 2021 General Election are certified.

The city council meets on Tuesday evenings at city hall and is responsible for setting policy, adopting the city’s annual budget, adopting laws, determining the services the city provides and the funding levels for those services, and appointing citizens to its advisory boards and commissions.