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Estacada council appoints Matthew Blevins to fill vacant seat after 4-2 vote
Summary
After public comment urging the council to respect recent ballot preferences and nominations, the Estacada City Council appointed Matthew Blevins on Feb. 10 to fill the vacant council seat. The council held two nominations; a first nomination failed 4-2 and a second passed 4-2. Blevins was sworn in at the meeting.
The Estacada City Council voted 4-2 on Feb. 10 to appoint Matthew Blevins to the vacant council seat, seating him immediately after a brief swearing-in at the meeting.
The appointment followed two nominations. The council first moved to appoint Vincent Balomo; that motion failed on a roll call (Dolezal: no; McElroy: no; Metcalfe: no; Prokop: yes; Tenbush: yes; Mayor Drinkwine: no). Council later nominated Matthew Blevins; that nomination passed on a roll call (Dolezal: yes; McElroy: yes; Metcalfe: yes; Prokop: no; Tenbush: no; Mayor Drinkwine: yes). The council then administered the oath of office to Blevins on the council dais.
The discussion and public comment before the vote centered on whether the council should appoint a candidate who had previously appeared on the November 2024 ballot or instead select a person who most closely matched the values and priorities of the late Michael Crossett, who had been elected to the seat but was unable to serve. Several residents and petitioners urged the council to appoint a ballot candidate. Heather Boone read petitions signed by registered voters—some residing inside city precincts and some outside the city but inside the Estacada School District—asking that the council appoint someone who appeared on last year’s ballot.
Other public speakers urged the council to choose a candidate aligned with Crossett’s values of safety, sensible growth and fiscal responsibility. Charity Hughes told the council, “Appointing someone with a similar dedication, knowledge, and integrity will ensure continuity and progress.” A resident who identified as Tabitha referenced the charter during public comment, saying, “While chapter 7, section 32 of the charter allows for appointments, the voters have recently made their selection, and ignoring that choice in favor of your own erodes trust.”
Council members explained their votes in the context of those competing arguments. Some members said they were honoring the expressed intent of voters who had supported a particular candidate on the ballot; others said they were choosing the applicant they believed best matched the community values of Crossett. After the second nomination passed, Councilor Matthew Blevins took the oath of office on the council floor.
No formal amendments were made to the council’s appointment authority or charter during the meeting. The swearing-in concluded the formal appointment action; council business then continued with committee assignments and other agenda items.
