Brookings City Council has opening for new member

BROOKINGS If youre tired of watching from afar or speaking from the audience when it comes to city government affairs and want to do more, well, nows your chance to be appointed to a seat on the Brookings City Council.

The council normally has seven members, but the resignation of Councilor Andrew Rasmussen on Feb. 25 he left after a job opportunity arose in Washington, D.C. means theres a vacancy, which the council hopes to fill no later than April 22.

City Clerk Bonnie Foster gave councilors a rundown on the process at Tuesday nights City Council meeting. Between that and information in a news release, applicants should be aware of the following:

• Applications are available on the city website https://tinyurl.com/2s3w4huf or at the city clerks office, 520 Third St., Suite 230.
• The completed application and other required documents must be submitted to the city clerks office no later than 5 p.m. April 4.
• Interested parties must be Brookings residents for a minimum of six months and be registered to vote.
• Applicants will be invited to take part in a City Council study session on April 15, providing more information about themselves and responding to questions. It starts at 5:30 p.m.
• The appointment term will run from May 1 of this year to April 30, 2026.

Filling a seat via appointment isnt necessarily a new thing on the City Council, since its been done three other times over the last decade, according to information from city documents:

• In February 2016, Councilor Scott Meyer resigned, with David M. Meyer being subsequently appointed.
• When Councilor Keith Corbett was elected as mayor in April 2017, Holly Tilton Byrne was appointed to the open seat, and remains on the council.
• In April 2021, Councilor Oepke Ope Niemeyer was elected as mayor, and Wayne Avery was appointed to the open seat. Both men remain in their positions today.

Meanwhile, an election on April 8 will determine who sits in two other City Council seats. Three candidates have filed for those positions Al Austreim along with incumbents Bonny Specker and Tilton Byrne.

In other City Council business on Tuesday night:

• Heard from Specker that Brookings Municipal Utilities plans to remove the old water tower on Sixth Street sometime in summer 2026. It no longer contains any water, having been supplanted by a newer water tower, and has had communications equipment removed from it as well.
• On a 7-0 vote, councilors gave the green light to a gunsmithing business in a detached garage at 1630 Olwien St. Owned by Reid Cummings, it will provide repair and cleaning services.

Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].