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Astoria council sets hybrid format, venue for Ward 4 candidate meet-and-greet
Summary
The Astoria City Council agreed on a hybrid meet‑and‑greet format for the Ward 4 vacancy: brief candidate presentations, a moderated Q&A (three common questions), short closing remarks, then a meet‑and‑greet. Peace First Lutheran Church was proposed as the venue and staff will collect questions and manage logistics.
The Astoria City Council on Nov. 3 agreed on a hybrid format and a likely venue for a public event to introduce candidates for the Ward 4 council vacancy. Mayor Fitzpatrick led the discussion and staff recommended Peace First Lutheran Church, a space within Ward 4 that can seat about 140 people.
The council endorsed a structure in which each prospective candidate gives a brief introduction (staff suggested about three minutes), answers the same three moderated questions submitted in advance by residents and council, and is allowed a short closing summary. After the moderated portion, the council agreed to allow meet‑and‑greet time for residents to speak informally with candidates. Councilors and staff estimated the event would run about 90 minutes including meet‑and‑greet time.
"I generally kinda like a hybrid anyhow," Mayor Fitzpatrick said as the council favored a mix of structured Q&A and informal interaction. City Manager Spence told councilors that staff would collect questions from attendees (paper submissions at the door were suggested) and recommended using a neutral person — such as a department head or the city librarian — to ask the questions rather than a council member.
Councilors agreed on several practical details during the meeting: three questions total, the same question asked of each candidate, with standard two‑minute answers per question (the council referenced the two‑minute standard used previously). Staff projected roughly 20–30 minutes for candidate introductions, about 30 minutes for the moderated questions and roughly 30 minutes for a meet‑and‑greet period.
Councilors also discussed alternatives and cautioned against an open‑mic, unmoderated town‑hall format that could become contentious. Mayor Fitzpatrick said the format should focus on the candidates and avoid turning into a forum for attacking past council members. Councilor Mozzarella and Councilor Davis both voiced support for a moderated portion plus time for residents who prefer direct, in‑person conversation.
Next steps identified by staff included: confirming the venue availability, inviting candidates to the event, collecting the set of council questions by the Nov. 17 meeting, and deciding whether to use a voting method to narrow a larger applicant pool to finalists. Spence flagged Nov. 17 as the council meeting at which members would submit their questions and said councilors wanted to see who had applied before finalizing those questions. The council did not take a formal motion; members signaled consensus and asked staff to proceed with logistics.
The scheduled event is intended to give Ward 4 residents an opportunity to evaluate candidates and for councilors to assemble information ahead of their appointment decision; staff will return with logistical confirmations to the council at a subsequent meeting.
