QuickTake:

Springfield City Council is set to fill two vacancies in the near future. City staff recommend the council start the Ward 3 appointment process ahead of the anticipated mayoral vacancy.

Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley resigned this week after winning a spot in the Oregon House of Representatives in the Nov. 3 election, the city announced in a news release.

Rodley was elected to City Council in 2020 representing Ward 3 and won a second term in 2024. 

“It has been my honor to serve the residents of Springfield as your city councilor for the past six years; and I am looking forward to continuing this work in Salem,” she wrote in her resignation letter.

Rodley will represent House District 7, which includes Springfield, starting in January. She succeeds Rep. John Lively, who did not run for an eighth term. Unofficial election results show Rodley, a Democrat, took 57% of the vote, while Republican Adam Wilson took 42.5%.

Rodley submitted her resignation Nov. 9, according to the Nov. 16 City Council agenda. The council will appoint an interim Ward 3 councilor to serve the remainder of her term, which runs through 2028. Councilors will discuss the appointment process at Monday’s meeting.

City staff recommend starting the appointment process for Rodley’s seat now, “ahead of the anticipated mayoral vacancy,” according to the meeting agenda. 

“This would allow the Council to work toward restoring its six councilor positions before addressing the mayoral vacancy, support continuity during leadership transitions and provide more time for recruitment and appointment,” the agenda states. 

Mayor Sean VanGordon won the primary for Lane County Commissioner for Springfield in May, taking a majority in the contest against Commissioner David Loveall. VanGordon’s term begins in January. 

Springfield City Charter calls for City Council to fill mayor and city councilor vacancies through appointment by a majority vote. 

The agenda calls for staff to return Dec. 7 with a proposed appointment process, which will have a public hearing and council vote.

Previous processes included an application period followed by a public meeting where council members interview chosen candidates. Council deliberation and appointment will also happen during public meetings. 

The interim councilor must live in Ward 3, which reaches from approximately Seventh Street to 21st Street. 

As for the mayor, the City Council may appoint either a current city councilor or another qualified Springfield resident to fill the vacancy, city spokesperson Elyse Ditzel told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. The appointed person needs to live in Springfield and not be a city employee. 

The council previously appointed councilors to fill mayor vacancies; in 2010, Ward 1 City Councilor Christine Lundberg was appointed mayor after Sid Lieken was elected to the Lane County Board of County Commissioners, and in 2021, VanGordon, who also represented Ward 1, was appointed to take Lundberg’s place after she stepped down. 

The council would have a third appointment to make if they appoint a sitting councilor to be mayor.