A total of nine people applied to be appointed to a vacant seat on the Oak Harbor City Council.

The list includes two council candidates from the November election, a man who ran for mayor a few years ago and a former candidate for county commissioner.

The seat was vacated by Jeffrey Mack at the end of December. Members of the Oak Harbor City Council will appoint a replacement.

The unprecedented interest in the seat may have been encouraged by the perception of a revitalized council with three of the current seven members being newly elected.

At the Feb. 15 meeting, the council will review the qualified applicants and possibly create a shortlist for interviews, if they choose to.

Then at the Feb. 23 workshop meeting, the council will interview the candidates on the shortlist — or long list. They will likely hold an executive session to discuss the candidates and then resume the open session to decide on a final appointment.

The candidates who chose to throw their hats in the ring include Fe Mischo and Earl “Andy” Plumlee, both of whom unsuccessfully ran for council seats during the general election. Mischo, who ran against Dan Evans, received 1,819 votes. Plumlee, who ran against Bryan Stucky, received 1,137 ballots cast in his favor.

Mischo, who is also a former county commissioner candidate, is a member of the county’s Community Health Advisory Board, the county Housing Advisory Board, Save the Children Action Network and the school district’s parents’ advisory board.

Plumlee is a manager at Island and La Conner Drug.

Pat Harman unsuccessfully ran for mayor as a self-styled reformer in 2019 and lost to Bob Severns. He received 1,805 votes. He was formerly a legislative aide in the Alaska Legislature.

In addition, Christopher Reed unsuccessfully ran for county commissioner against Jill Johnson in 2020. He is a business owner, a construction manager, a mechanic and a journeyman painter, according to his application.

A well-known name around city hall is Hal Hovey, a real estate broker and former Air Force pilot. He is a five-year member of the city’s planning commission, the chairperson of the city’s salary commission and a member of the Windjammer Park Citizens Advisory Group.

The other candidates are as follows, according to their applications:

Ronnie Wright is a managing partner at Pacific Grace Tax and Accounting and a board member on the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce, Whidbey Golf and Country Club and the Oak Harbor Creative Arts Commission.

John Chaszar is a substitute para-educator for the school district and the former manager of several casinos across the country.

Eric Marshall is the publisher of the Whidbey Weekly and a member of the planning commission.

Michael Crawford is a retired Navy veteran and a bus operator for Island Transit.