Here’s the process the city of Bend will use to fill 2 council vacancies, and how to apply

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend city councilors declared two Council vacancies at their Wednesday night meeting, triggering a selection process that is open to community members interested in being appointed to the Bend City Council for the remainder of this year.

In separate announcements, Mayor Sally Russell and Councilor Rita Schenkelberg publicized that they both were resigning and that the May 18 Council meeting would be their final meeting.

During the meeting, councilors appointed Mayor Pro-Tem Gena Goodman-Campbell as the new mayor. Councilors then chose Anthony Broadman to serve as the new Mayor Pro-Tem. Goodman-Campbell will complete Russell’s mayoral term (Council Position 7) which expires the end of 2022.

The move into the seat of mayor created one vacancy for Goodman-Campbell’s seat, (Council Position 5), which also expires in 2022. The other vacancy is for Schenkelberg’s seat, (Council Position 4).

Both appointees will serve on the council for the rest of 2022. Both Council positions will be on the ballot for the general election in November, at which time both seats need to be filled by election. The appointees will serve on the council until the newly elected Councilors take office on January 4, 2023.

The person elected by voters into Schenkelberg’s seat will serve out the remaining two years of Schenkelberg’s term instead of a typical four-year term.

Community members interested in being appointed can apply at www.bendoregon.gov/council-application found at www.bendoregon.gov/citycouncil between May 19 and June 1. Appointees must be registered to vote in Oregon and must have resided in the city continuously during the twelve months immediately preceding the appointment.

If more than 10 people apply for the vacancies, a subcommittee of councilors (Anthony Broadman, Melanie Kebler and Megan Perkins) will convene to review the applications and suggest candidates for interviews. If fewer than 10 people apply, the whole council will interview all applicants. Councilors will hold special public meetings in early June to conduct interviews. (Watch www.bendoregon.gov/councilagenda for meeting information.)

The City Charter says a vacancy in the council shall be filled within 30 days by appointment by the council, but if the council does not fill the vacancy by an appointment within 30 days, then the vacancy gets filled at the next election, which would be in November.

For more detail, section 21 of the Bend Charter and section 9 of the City Council Rules explain the requirements associated with the process to fill vacancies.

More information about the 2022 Council elections can be found here.