Council candidate rejected again

HAUSER - After two recommendations, the Hauser City Council is still in the hunt for a fourth board member.

Mayor Olita "Oly" Johnston said she'll inform council members of her third recommendation on Thursday. The council will vote on the recommendation on Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m.

The council on Wednesday voted to 2-1 to not appoint Dave Nall. They earlier turned down Carol Spuler.

In both cases, Claire Hatfield and Laura Ward voted against the recommendations, while Lacey Hynes supported them.

"It's awful heavy on me and embarrassing," Johnston said of the votes against her recommendations. "It's a shame for the people I recommended. I have a lot more empathy for them than I do myself. They were willing to step up and then to slap them in the face is not good.

"It doesn't represent a good feeling in the community."

But Hatfield said the votes are nothing personal against Johnston.

Hatfield said the council didn't have any information on Spuler before they were asked to vote on that recommendation.

"We didn't see the letters of interest and, without that information, I could not put her on the council," Hatfield said.

In the case of the vote on Nall, the council had seen all of the letters of interest at the time of the vote, but Hatfield said she believes there are more qualified applicants.

"It has nothing to do with the mayor," Hatfield said of the votes. "We love Oly, but we're just not on the same page with this group of people."

Nall, who owns the Westside Resort, said he expected to get turned down after Spuler was and he isn't bothered by the decision.

"Carol is very qualified and I think a couple members on the council just have somebody else in mind," Nall said. "I've been here for 33 years, so maybe that's too long for some people."

Roger Lefebvre and Gary Mallon, a former Hauser mayor, have also submitted letters of interest. Former council member Joe Tierney has removed his letter of interest.

The appointed person will fill the seat formerly occupied by Ed Peone until November 2011, the end of Peone's two-year term.

Peone resigned last month, citing family illnesses.

Peone was mayor for 14 years and spent six total years on the council during three different stints.