Chuck Orr joins Spirit Lake City Council

Chuck Orr is Spirit Lake's new city council member.

Orr fills the vacancy left by Wendy Walter, who resigned Tuesday, citing personal and family reasons.

“I won't be able to devote as much time to the city council or the city’s business as I would like to, so I don't think it's fair to our taxpayers,” Walter said. “I set a pretty high bar for myself as far as my dedication.”

Walter said she had been thinking through the decision for the last few months before deciding it was time to resign. Still, she’s proud of the work she put in during her time in office.

“I really enjoyed being on the council and getting to hopefully do some good things,” Walter said.

Walter had floated Orr's name to Spirit Lake Mayor Charlene Phipps as someone who could fill the empty council seat. Orr is ready to get his feet wet.

“There's going to be a strong learning curve on this, but I’m going to give it my best shot,” Orr said.

Phipps interviewed potential appointees for the city council spot.

“We had several residents that were interested in the position,” Phipps said. “I conducted interviews and spoke with people about a variety of concerns, like their ability to commit, to provide time, that type of thing.”

Walter thinks that Phipps made the right decision in finding her replacement.

“He's super involved in the community, so it's a good fit,” Walter said.

Orr decided to move forward with, and ultimately accept, his appointment to the city council because he believed that if you have ideas to help your fellow citizens, you should act when given the chance.

“When somebody comes up and gives you the opportunity to participate and do something (for your community), it is hypocritical if you don't step up,” Orr said. “The opportunity arose, and I agreed to do it. If you don’t actually take it, then what good is that?

Orr added that, as a business owner in the city, he can bring a different perspective to the council that they otherwise wouldn’t have.

“I think that right now there's nobody on the council who is still in the workforce or who owns a business,” Orr said. “I have a pretty good viewpoint to share on that council and I think that’s what Phipps saw as a good fit.”

Walter’s term was set to run through January 2028. Orr says it’s too early to say whether he’ll run for reelection next year, but he's eager for the opportunity to serve Spirit Lake.

“If it's something that I'm good at and it's something where I can actually see the improvements that I'm helping make, then yes, I could see myself running for the position instead of just being appointed,” Orr said.

    Wendy Walter during her time on the Spirit Lake City Council.