ARLINGTON — On Nov. 16, the Arlington City Council unanimously appointed local business owner Debora Nelson to fill the vacant seat on the Arlington City Council. The vacancy was created when Council member Scott Solla passed away on Sept. 3 of this year, after a long battle with cancer.

The City Council reviewed applications from and interviewed all eight candidates for the vacant position. Other candidates included Vickie Solla, widow of Council member Scott Solla, as well as retired Arlington Fire Chief Jim Rankin, local Smokey Point resident Michael Rexford, Seattle firefighter Craig Christianson, Arlington business owner Marcia Smothers, Arlington architect Ruth Gonzales, and Andy Tift, manager of the Marysville Holiday Inn Express and member of the Marysville Lodging Tax Advisory Committee and Snohomish County Tourism Promotion Area board. Nelson is an Arlington business owner and the president of the Downtown Arlington Business Association.

After interviewing all eight candidates, Council member Marilyn Oertle said, “We now have the most difficult decision — to choose one person to fill the vacant seat when we have eight highly qualified candidates that could all readily fill the seat.”

After close to an hour of closed door deliberations, the Council returned to an open session and voted 5-0 to appoint Nelson to fill the vacant seat.

Upon her appointment, Nelson said, “I am truly honored for this selection. The Council had an incredible group of candidates to choose from. I will do my best to represent the interests of all the city’s residents and businesses.”

Nelson will be sworn in at the beginning of the Nov. 21 meeting of the Arlington City Council, held at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located at 110 E. Third St. in downtown Arlington.