Pinetop Lakeside Council interviews three applicants, votes to enter executive session on appointment

The Pinetop Lakeside Town Council on Wednesday interviewed three applicants to fill a vacant council seat and then voted unanimously to go into executive session to discuss the appointment.

The interviews, conducted one at a time at the town hall, featured former council member Lynn Craigbomb, Katherine Doyle and Dr. David Halls. Council members asked each candidate about availability, priorities, ethics and how they would approach growth and community engagement.

Lynn Craigbomb, a former council member who said she served six years previously, told the council she could meet the time commitment and emphasized adherence to the open meeting law and attention to planning and zoning. She said annexation was a priority and voiced concern about the town’s ownership and long-term plans for Woodland Lake Park’s remaining acreage. Craigbomb said she would not run in the next election: “I am 84 years old and I'm not sure that anybody would vote for somebody who is 84 years old. I am definitely not going to run in the next election.”

Katherine Doyle, who identified herself as director at the Navajo County Family Advocacy Center, said she works full time in a flexible position and can commit the required time. Doyle said she would emphasize outreach to young families and transparency in local government, and pointed to experience working with legislators in Washington, D.C., as a strength she could bring to the council.

Dr. David Halls, who described himself as a lifelong resident, said planning ahead for growth and fiscal responsibility were priorities. He cited property-owner rights while also urging that new development fit the town’s vision. Halls recounted an ethics decision from his professional practice about accurately reporting controlled-substance inventory as an example of his approach to integrity.

After the interviews, a council member moved that the council enter an executive session “to discuss the appointment of an individual to fill a vacancy on the town council,” citing Arizona Revised Statutes § 38-431.03(A)(1) and (3). Another council member seconded the motion; the chair called for the vote and the motion carried unanimously. The council recessed to executive session; no appointment was announced on the public record at the meeting’s close.

The interviews and the executive-session vote set the procedural steps for the council to consider the candidates in private deliberations; the council indicated it would return to the public meeting after that discussion. No formal appointment or public decision was released at the time the meeting record ends.