The process to fill a vacancy on council is laid out in the city charter, which states the council has 30 days to find a qualified member of the community to fill the spot.

The charter doesn’t, however, specify the exact process that should be taken to find that person.

The remaining members decided to follow the same process used when State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, left his position in 2006 to campaign for the House.

The applicants’ interviews were open to a public audience and broadcast live on local television, so council members could get as much input as possible from the residents, Goddeeris said.

“(By) making it public for members of the community to watch it … they can send their input to us,” Goddeeris said. “They felt it was a good way to get information about the candidates and make their decision.”

Applicants were given 20 minutes each, an opening statement and a closing statement, as well as four predetermined questions about the candidates’ backgrounds and their vision for the city of East Lansing.

The incoming candidate has the option to run again when their partial term is up for re-election in 2013 for a partial term until 2015.

City Clerk Marie McKenna said the process of appointment is more ideal than an election process for the sake of both cost and time.

A full election would not only cost around $20,000, but also would not be a good fit for the 30-day time frame outlined in the city charter, McKenna said.

“Because of the time and the situation, the person wouldn’t have really had the time to campaign and run … We need to be able to very quickly appoint someone,” McKenna said.

“The other side of that coin is council needs to have the ability to do business and move forward, and being able to fill that position quickly is another important aspect why we (appoint new members) the way we do.”

The new member will be announced at this Tuesday’s council meeting at the Union.