A seat on the Enumclaw City Council wasn’t empty too long, as Anthony Wright was appointed the evening of April 10 to fill the Position 3 vacancy.

That makes two new faces on the city’s seven-person governing board in the past month.

The council turnstile began clicking in January when Morgan Irwin stepped down following his appointment to the state House of Representatives. Five candidates applied for the post and, following interviews by the existing council, Steve Cadematori was selected to round out the council. He was chosen March 13 and sworn in March 27.

That same night, a new vacancy was created when Mayor Liz Reynolds read a resignation letter submitted by Mike Sando. The councilman noted he was departing his seat both for personal reasons – growing job demands – and dissatisfaction with the direction the council was heading.

“It is troubling to participate in a process that ignores responsible discourse in the pursuit of narrow and individual interests,” wrote Sando, who was elected in 2013 and was in the final year of his term.

Presented with a second vacancy to fill, city leadership opted against another application process, choosing instead to fill Sando’s vacancy from the field of hopefuls who had stepped forward just weeks earlier.

With little discussion and by unanimous vote, Wright was tabbed for the opening.

Initially, the council agenda included an executive session, where council members could escape public view and discuss candidates in private. At the urging of Councilman Chance LaFleur, it was agreed to keep everything in open session.

“We’ve gone through the process already,” LaFleur said, noting that individual qualifications were weighed during an executive session prior to Cadematori’s selection.

It is anticipated Wright will take the oath of office and join the council during the April 25 meeting.

Wright spent about a dozen years in the U.S. Navy (2004-2016) and is now a senior facilities engineer with Seattle-based Equinix.

“I believe in being part of a team that prides itself on effective communication and transparency,” he wrote in his application letter to the city. “I believe in helping your neighbor and standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. I believe we need to look after our senior citizens for their years of experience are priceless. I believe we need to invest in families for our community by ensuring we have outstanding services that make them feel safe, at ease and that we are accountable. I believe that we should do everything in our power to cultivate the economy of our city while maintaining the identity that defines our home on the plateau.”