After more two months of searching, leaders at Whidbey General Hospital have a candidate for a vacancy on its five-member elected board.

Whidbey General Hospital Board president Anne Tarrant announced during Monday’s monthly commissioner meeting that Oak Harbor resident Nancy Fey applied for the seat vacated by Roger Case when he resigned in June.

Fey worked as a pharmacist at Whidbey General Hospital for 26 years before finishing up in 2009. She is the president of the hospital’s auxiliary, which operates the gift shop and works with hospital guilds that raise money for capital improvements.

“I love Whidbey General Hospital and I want to be part of the decision-making process,” Fey said Tuesday morning.

Officials have been looking for a candidate to fill Case’s seat since he announced his resignation in April. Unfortunately, nobody filed with the Island County Auditor’s Office to run for the vacancy during the filing period in May and a special filing period in June.

Commissioner Ron Wallin noted the transient nature of some of the residents in the district.

Case, who was close to finishing his third, six-year term, represented District 4, which includes the Seaplane base south of Crescent Harbor Drive, the Highway 20 corridor through Oak Harbor and the east side of Oak Harbor. People considering to apply for the vacancy have to reside within District 4 boundaries.

Officials had a candidate lined up last month, but it turned out that person lived just yards outside the district boundaries.

Even though the hospital board has a candidate for the vacancy, people are still able to apply. The deadline for applications is July 15. The hospital commissioners will conduct interviews the following week. A date for those interviews hasn’t been set yet.

Tarrant said she would like to see a large pool of candidates, but noted that the commissioners have a 90-day window to find a replacement.

If the commissioners can’t appoint someone by the deadline, then the Island County commissioners will look to fill the seat.

The person appointed to the seat will serve the remainder of Case’s term, which was set to expire in January. Then the commissioners would re-appoint the candidate to serve on the seat until the next time commissioner seats come up for election in two years, Tarrant said.

Wallin said it might be a good time to consider reconfiguring the board and allow for an at-large position.