Lynnwood Council unanimously appoints Rebecca Thornton to Seat 5

The Lynnwood City Council voted unanimously Thursday to appoint Rebecca “Becky” Thornton to City Council position No. 5 following multiple rounds of voting and a brief executive session.

Council President Veil opened the special business meeting and described the selection process, saying the council would proceed through three preliminary rounds to narrow seven candidates to three, then hold final rounds of voting from that group. The council entered executive session “pursuant to RCW 42.3 0.11018 to evaluate the qualifications of candidates for appointment to elected office,” then returned to public session to complete voting.

During the public ballot, councilmembers cast ranked and sequential votes that produced a final head-to-head between Robert Lewweiler and Becky Thornton. After an additional executive-session break to discuss the tie, the council returned and each councilmember cast a final vote for Thornton. Council President Veil announced, “We have a unanimous vote. Congratulations, Becky Thornton.”

Council member Decker formally moved the appointment on the floor, saying, “I move to appoint Rebecca Thornton to Lynnwood City Council position number 5 effective immediately.” The motion was seconded (second not specified in the public record), and the council approved the appointment by voice vote.

Thornton will be sworn in at the council's next business meeting on Monday, Feb. 24, the council said, and city staff will follow up with the appointee about next steps. Council members also encouraged other applicants to remain engaged with civic opportunities; the presiding officer noted a filing or sign-up date in May and directed people to the Snohomish County Elections website for details.

The special meeting focused solely on selecting a replacement councilmember; there were no other formal agenda actions recorded during this session.