Hurricane City Council appoints Amy Wert to fill vacant seat after multiple rounds of voting

The Hurricane City Council on Jan. 31 appointed Amy Wert to fill an open council seat after multiple rounds of internal voting and brief finalist remarks.

Council members narrowed a field of more than a dozen applicants to a short list and then to two finalists. In the final recorded vote, three council members voted to appoint Wert and one voted for Kimberly Lytle. Council practice required successive rounds of preference voting to narrow candidates; the mayor cast a procedural tie-breaking choice earlier in the process to advance a candidate into the final round. After the council announced the result, Wert was sworn into office and immediately took her seat.

Council members framed the choice as difficult and said they weighed experience, temperament and how a new member would alter council dynamics. Councilman Joseph Preet said the process required looking at motivations and the skills each candidate would bring, and cautioned against letting personal friendships be the deciding factor. “Friendship can’t be the defining principle,” Preet told colleagues during deliberations.

Wert, who advanced through two rounds of voting, thanked the council after being selected, saying, “Trust you guys. I just publicly wanna thank you for the transparency.” She was sworn in before the meeting adjourned.

The council completed its agenda with a motion to adjourn immediately after the swearing-in.

What’s next: Wert fills the vacant seat and will participate in council business immediately. The council did not announce other follow-up actions tied specifically to the appointment during the meeting.