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Anacortes council appoints Marsha Hunt to Ward 1 after multiple rounds, mayor breaks tie
Summary
After five finalist interviews and several rounds of council voting, Mayor Walters cast the tie-breaking vote to appoint Marsha Hunt to fill the Ward 1 council vacancy. Council had debated voting methods and required a four-vote confirmation rule for this appointment.
The Anacortes City Council appointed Marsha Hunt to the Ward 1 seat on Feb. 17 after multiple rounds of voting and a mayoral tie-break.
HR Director Bridal Moyle opened the process by outlining the vacancy timeline and interview format; five finalists — Susanna Clements, John Gasser, Sarah Henry, Marsha Hunt and Courtney Oreck — each gave five-minute statements and answered follow-up questions from council members.
Council members debated voting methods for the appointment for more than an hour, considering ranked-choice voting (several variants), a Borda/bride-like scoring method, and nomination-to-slate procedures. Concerns focused on transparency and the practicalities of implementing ranked systems for a six-member council. After rejecting full ranked choice, council adopted a nominations-and-single-choice paper-ballot approach and later set a rule that an appointee must receive four council votes to be confirmed.
After nominations, council conducted successive ballots with roll-call and paper formats. Early rounds produced a split: three votes for Marsha Hunt, and dispersed votes for other nominees. On the final roll call the council stood 3–3 between Hunt and Susanna Clements. Mayor Walters, enabled by a council amendment to allow the mayor to break a tie, cast the decisive vote for Hunt, producing a 4–3 confirmation.
Councilmembers who supported Hunt cited her deep knowledge of city operations and financial stewardship; supporters of other finalists emphasized diverse perspectives and community outreach experience. Mayor Walters said he was "immensely proud of all five" finalists and noted the mayor would swear in the appointee at the Feb. 23 meeting.
Next steps: Hunt will be sworn in at the Feb. 23 meeting and serve through the Nov. 2027 election cycle unless the voters elect otherwise.
