Council appoints Bill Lamb to fill Ward 4 vacancy after interviews

After interviewing five applicants and recessing to executive session to deliberate, Medina City Council on Jan. 12 selected Bill Lamb as the Ward 4 council representative to fill the vacant seat left by Mayor Shields.

Council President Coyne announced the selection: "The candidate that we selected this evening is Bill Lamb to be the next Ward 4 council representative." Council then moved and approved the appointment by roll call; the minutes record the motion passing and indicate Lamb will be sworn in at the next council meeting.

The council had previously set the interview order and process: each applicant provided a five‑minute presentation followed by the same set of questions from council members to allow comparative evaluation. The five applicants were Don Williams, Bruce Gold, Matthew Gregory, Bill Lamb and Janice Jockle. Council members discussed attributes they sought on council and used a ranking system during executive session to reach a selection.

Bill Lamb is a former mayor and longtime educator who described earlier projects he worked on with council, including acquiring a rail line, preserving the airport and establishing the historic district downtown. During his interview he emphasized public safety, downtown preservation and coalition building as leadership strengths.

Next steps: the clerk will prepare swearing‑in formalities and the council will administer the oath at the next meeting; council encouraged the other applicants to remain engaged in city committees and volunteer opportunities.

Quoted from the meeting: Council President Coyne: "The candidate that we selected this evening is Bill Lamb to be the next Ward 4 council representative."