City Council appoints Evan Swartz to fill vacant seat; Swartz sworn in

The Independence City Council appointed Evan Swartz to fill a vacant council seat at its Feb. 11 meeting, and Swartz took the oath of office during the meeting.

Council members interviewed a total of six applicants in a prior special meeting and narrowed the field to two finalists before the Feb. 11 action. During the regular session Councilors discussed the candidates’ experience, community connections and communication skills; Councilor [name recorded in transcript as moving the motion] moved to appoint, and the motion was seconded and approved in a roll-call vote (multiple councilors voting “aye”; one councilor recorded a “nay”).

Swartz repeated the oath on the council dais, saying, “I will support the Constitution and the laws of the United States and the State of Oregon and the charter and ordinances of the City of Independence, Oregon.” The council then completed related administrative steps and proceeded with the rest of the agenda.

Why it matters: The appointment fills a full voting seat on the council. Councilors said they considered applicants’ relevant experience, demonstrated desire to serve and ability to add diversity of thought to the body before making the selection.

Background and next steps: City staff said they received six applications in response to an all-call. Councilors interviewed the top two candidates in a pre-meeting and asked each the same set of 12 questions. Councilors also said staff will follow up with the applicants who were not selected about recruitment for boards and commissions.

Swartz’s swearing-in completes the council roster for voting on budget, land-use and other city business going into the FY 2025–26 budget cycle.