Sumner’s city council selected planning commission chair and 2007 council candidate Jon Swanson to its vacant council seat.

The decision—which came after a little more than an hour of public interviewing of seven applicants, 30 minutes of private discussion in executive session, and another round of public discussion and nomination—came down to a tiebreaker vote by Mayor Dave Enslow.

The candidates who made it to the end of the process, to be nominated by members of council and voted upon, were Swanson and former councilman Mark Evers. Swanson stated his intent to run for the council seat in the November election, and Evers stated that he would not, a point that became a point of discussion during the final nominations.

“I’m not comfortable voting for someone with a long term goal for council,” said Steve Allsop, who nominated Evers. “I would like someone who’s going to plug the gap for six months before the seat opens up in election.”

The seven applicants for the position were Steve Colgan, Evers, Nestor Fernandez, Joseph Gerace, Richard Lawson, Mike LeMaster and Swanson. All but Evers and Fernandez stated they intend to run in November regardless of whether they were appointed to the position.

Swanson moved to Sumner with his wife in 2003, to be close to their children, he said. They built a home on Wood Avenue. He comes from an auto merchandising background and owns several businesses. He is a member of the Sumner Rotary Club.

In terms of city interests, Swanson stated he is for the Orton Junction mixed commercial/residential urban growth area.

“I am not bashful about growth, but growth should be moderate,” he said during his interview.