Walla Walla City Council to decide on process of filling vacancy
By Dan Thesman on Wednesday, January 14th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla City Council is scheduled to meet tonight (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. to discuss and potentially act on the process for filling a vacant council seat.
The vacancy follows the Dec. 31 resignation of Councilmember and Mayor Tom Scribner. According to a memo from City Attorney Tim Donaldson, the council has 90 days from the date of the resignation to appoint a successor.
Under Washington state law, the council is granted broad discretion in its selection process, as there is no mandated procedure for filling such vacancies. However, the law does include specific requirements regarding public transparency as council members are permitted to hold private executive sessions solely to evaluate the qualifications of candidates. All candidate interviews must be conducted in meetings open to the public. The final vote and official appointment of the new council member must occur during an open public session.
Donaldson added in the memo that the council must ensure that the selection process remains transparent, as only the discussion of candidate qualifications is legally shielded from public view.
