Williamsport council appoints David Dussinger to fill vacant seat

Williamsport City Council voted 6-0 to appoint David Dussinger to a vacant city council seat following a series of candidate interviews at a special meeting.

Council member Doctor Yoder moved to amend the resolution to appoint Dussinger, saying the candidate’s recent campaign and familiarity with city issues made him the best choice to ‘‘hit the ground running’’ for the roughly 16 months remaining in the term. A second council member supported the motion. Clerk Miss Frank then called the roll; the council recorded six affirmative votes and the motion passed.

The council president opened the meeting by explaining the interview format and reminded attendees that the vacancy followed the death of longtime council member Bonnie Katz. During deliberations several council members cited Dussinger’s campaign experience and practical knowledge of budget and infrastructure issues as factors in their vote. Doctor Yoder said he favored Dussinger because ‘‘this term has, what, 1 year, 8 months left…there’s a lot of stuff that’s gonna be coming through’’ and that Dussinger’s recent campaign work reduced his learning curve.

Opposing nominations were discussed during a brief debate that also referenced a local precedent of appointing a replacement from the same party as the departing member. Council members encouraged those not selected to consider running in the next municipal election and to serve on boards or commissions in the interim.

Procedurally, the clerk read a resolution to appoint a candidate and the council moved to amend that resolution with Dussinger’s name. After the roll-call vote —Doctor Yoder, Mister Milligan, Mister Mackey, Miss Meeley, Mister Polizzi and Mister Beiter voting ‘‘yes’’—the chair thanked all applicants and closed the interview portion of the meeting.

The appointment fills the seat left by Bonnie Katz; the appointed term will run until January 2028. The council also announced upcoming meetings and adjourned.