Another herd of applicants has thundered into sight, jockeying to take a city council seat this time.

Sunday, October 24, 1999

Another herd of applicants has thundered into sight, jockeying to take a city council seat this time.

Seven people – Rodd Boyken, John Howley, David Solomonson, Harry Willmott, Neil Fedson, Janet Anderson and Geoff Baker – turned in applications for the vacant 1st Ward Austin City Council seat before the end of the filing period on Friday. The 1st Ward seat, vacated by Roberto Romo after the Oct. 4 council meeting for personal reasons, will be filled by appointment until the next election in 2000.

Boyken, an Austin native and producer/director at KSMQ-TV, was the last to file.

The candidates represent a range of ages and interests in Austin: Fedson is retired from the Hormal Data Center; Baker is the director of marketing for his family’s McFarland Truck Lines; Solomonson is a retired school careers counselor who is also currently running for the Austin Board of Education; Anderson is the president of the Austin Area Commission for the Arts and a Planning Commission member and former chairperson of that commission, Howley is a former antique dealer, and Wilmott is the manager of electrical engineering for the Hormel Foods Corp.

The mayor and council will interview the candidates individually in the lower level conference room at City Hall on Monday beginning at 4:15 p.m. The interviews are open to the public and should last approximately 20 minutes each.

The interim council member will be selected by vote of the mayor and council with the official appointment to be made at the Nov. 1 council meeting.