Pullman City Council is in the final stages of selecting a new councilmember to take over Francis Benjamin’s old position after he took on his new role as Pullman City Mayor.

Mike Urban, Pullman City administrator, said recruitment started to find a new Ward One councilmember when the validation for the ballots of Pullman City Mayor went through.

Originally Benjamin had this position but evidently had to step down when he was elected mayor of Pullman. 

This left Pullman City Council with an open position to elect a new councilmember which is currently in progress.

According to the City of Pullman website, the council has been taking applications for the vacant position since Dec 1 and they officially closed at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

Overall, what the council is looking for when it comes to hiring a new council member is that they communicate with their constituency and know what is going on in the city. They have to be responsible for policy and budget items in regard to their organization. They are also tasked with passing budgets especially when it comes to them changing and debating land use issues, Urban said.

On the more technical side of looking for a new councilmember, on the application there were several short questions that applicants were asked and these included:

“How can you help your ward? Why do you want to to this? Why is this a good time in your life with everything else you have going on?” Urban said.

Pullman City Council has received applications and Jan. 16, the council will hold a special meeting where they will invite the applicants to interview them, Urban said.

At the end of this meeting, the council will review the applicants and nominate someone as councilmember for Ward One, take a vote and elect the new council member for Ward One, Urban said.

Upcoming dates regarding the election of a Ward One council member:

• Thursday, Jan. 11 – Applications verified and given to city council for review
• Tuesday, Jan. 16 – City Council’s special meeting to determine who to appoint for the position
• Wednesday, Jan. 17 – New council member for Ward One takes the Oath of Office
• May 2025 – Anyone living in Ward One is eligible to run for election for the full four-year term