Lake Forest Park council authorizes search to fill vacant seat after Deputy Mayor Bodie’s death

LAKE FOREST PARK, Wash. — The Lake Forest Park City Council on Monday unanimously authorized the mayor to direct city administration to begin the formal process to fill the council seat left vacant by the death of Deputy Mayor Bodie.

The council voted to approve a motion instructing the administration to advertise the opening and accept applications; the mayor declared, “Ayes have it. It passes unanimously,” after the motion was moved and seconded.

City Attorney Kim Pratt told the council state law gives the city 90 days to fill a council vacancy. “So as a mayor council form of government, the RCWs give the city council the authority, to fill a council vacancy. And you have 90 days to do that,” Pratt said. She said if the council does not appoint someone within 90 days, King County would appoint, and if King County does not act, the governor’s office could become involved.

Under the state code Pratt described, an appointee serves only until the person elected to the seat is certified by the county; the council discussed that certification timing means the appointee would serve through the remainder of the current term, which council members said runs through December 2027. Pratt also advised that the council may hold an executive session to discuss candidate qualifications before making a final appointment.

The council approved administrative steps and an application timeline: the administration will post the application as soon as possible; the council set the application deadline for Tuesday, May 27, end of business (5 p.m.). The governance manual (section 5.7) limits the interview pool to six candidates if more than six apply, sets a 30-minute cap for each interview, and provides a process for oral questions and an executive session, council members said during the meeting.

City Clerk Matt McLean and city staff will manage postings and candidate materials. Council discussion produced these procedural clarifications that will appear in the application or interview guidance: the advertised appointment will be described as an approximately six-month term (the remainder of the current term); compensation for the seat is $800 per month; applicants must be registered voters and a resident of Lake Forest Park for at least one year; and the clerk’s office will perform professional reference checks. The council agreed to change application language to remove an option to submit a full resume in lieu of answering the first background questions.

Council members debated interview scheduling and logistics. The council set a preliminary sequence: a May 29 special meeting (after the budget and finance meeting) to select which applicants will be interviewed, interviews to be held in early June (council members discussed June 2 and June 5 as possible interview nights, and spreading interviews over two evenings to avoid fatigue), and a goal to make a final appointment during the regular June 12 meeting, with an executive session available to discuss qualifications. The council requested staff post the set of written questions on the application and to provide oral questions to shortlisted candidates shortly before their interviews so candidates have time to prepare.

On candidate materials the council agreed to request contact information for two professional references and letters of recommendation; council members clarified reference checks are primarily to validate professional or employment history rather than to provide subjective character testimonials. The clerk’s office will handle reference checks and may redact certain contact details from publicly distributed packets, though those details could remain subject to public disclosure under state law and Public Disclosure Commission rules.

Next steps: the clerk will post the application and schedule as directed by the mayor, with the application period closing May 27 at 5 p.m. The council will convene the May 29 special meeting to decide whom to interview and expects to hold interviews in early June and consider appointment at the June 12 meeting.