Last month, following Tom Dillon's sudden resignation in the wake of the Lake and Central decision, the Kirkland City Council was faced with the unanticipated problem of finding a replacement.
The council turned to a familiar face: Nona Ganz.
"It is a bit of a surprise to be back on the council. I was pulled out of retirement and I was available to do it," Ganz said. "I think they wanted someone who could jump right in and help make decisions without a long learning curve. I am probably someone who could come in and help out from the start."
Ganz is certainly far from a stranger to the City Council. From 1991 to 2001, Ganz served in Kirkland's legislative body, leaving when she chose not to seek a third term. In taking the seat, Ganz becomes the second former City Councilmember appointed to fill a vacancy. Dave Russell was tapped in January after Larry Springer resigned following his election to the state Legislature.
Ganz's return to City Hall came suddenly and was something of a surprising turn to her. Following Dillon's departure, the council wanted to act quickly, especially given the annual City Council retreat slated for the end of March. Ganz said she was asked to submit an application and was appointed during a special council session on March 17.
While away from city government for three years, Ganz has not veered far from public involvement. She chaired the Kirkland Park Bond in 2002, and, until her council appointment, was a member of the Juanita Beach Park Master Plan Committee. She's also a trustee of the Cascade Land Conservancy.
Ganz said she hopes to offer some stability to the City Council during a period when it may need some. But she doesn't come in with a briefcase full of agenda items.
"This is all so new, I don't have firm goals yet," she said. "I'm happy to be on the council during this period, because we'll be adopting the Juanita Beach Plan and McAuliffe Park, and that's great because I was there when those parks became part of Kirkland."
Parks issues were among those Ganz championed during her previous council tenure, and she said she hopes to do the same during the course of the year. She said she will be working on forming a partnership between Kirkland and the Cascade Land Conservancy to help deal with park and open space issues.
She chose not to comment on the City Council's controversial Lake and Central decision that led to her appoiment because she was not a councilmember when that decision was made.
Any appointed councilmember must run for the seat in the next election. Ganz said she has no plans to run for the position in November, adding that she made her intentions clear during the interview process.
She said that not running gives an opportunity for new voices to be part of city government.
"I'm happy to be able to help the city for this interim period," she said. "Right now I'm just trying to get up to speed on the current issues and get ready for the retreat."[[In-content Ad]]
