Letter: University Place Mayor’s UPdate

Welcome to the Mayor’s UPdate – a new weekly column which will hopefully give you an idea about what’s going on in our City. I’ll do my best to keep you informed; however, please feel free to contact me at dklosowski@cityofup.com if you have any specific questions or concerns. So without further ado, here’s what’s going on in University Place:

*City Council Selection Process: As you may know, the City Council is interviewing several candidates to fill the remaining term of Council position 7 left vacant by the passing of Councilwoman Jean Brooks. The council initially interviewed 14 candidates and narrowed the slate down to six. Although one of the candidates (Cliff Quisenberry) later withdrew due to increased professional commitments, the remaining five candidates participated in an informative League of Women Voter’s forum last Wednesday.

Remaining candidates for the council position are: Caroline Belleci, Frank Boykin, Kenneth Campbell, Ross Hjelseth and Mark Kahley.

I’d like to encourage all citizens to read the candidate background and application information on the city website at www.cityofup.com. The League of Women Voters Candidate Forum is also being broadcast on UPTV at 6 am and 12 am and 6 pm and 12 pm each day. The forum is approximately 1 ½ hours long. You can find UPTV on Click! Channel 12 and Comcast Channel 21.

We welcome and encourage public input regarding the council candidates.

Please send us your thoughts via email to City_Hall@cityofup.com or drop a line to City Hall, 3715 Bridgeport Way West, Univ. Place 98466. The City Council will conduct the final interview process and appointment on Monday, Feb. 16 starting at 7 pm.

Many thanks to all of the individuals who submitted applications for this position. We are grateful that so many qualified individuals were interested in serving our City and hope that they will continue their interest by participating in the many volunteer opportunities that are available.