Long time Deer Park resident Ellen Standen has been appointed to the city council.

Following Heather Newsom’s resignation, the city council had 90 days to appoint a replacement. Six people applied and were interviewed, and ultimately, the council unanimously voted to appoint Ellen Standen.

Councilmember Heather Newsom resigned from her position due to relocating outside city limits. That triggered an automatic deadline to appoint a replacement council member within 90 days. The council, led by Mayor Tim Verzal, chose to have interested individuals submit applications and then held an interview during the most recent city council meeting. At the end of the meeting, the council went into an executive session for a discussion that lasted about 30 minutes. Councilmember Jason Upchurch motioned to appoint Ellen Standen as the new council member. The four council members voted unanimously for the appointment.

Ellen Standen will be sworn in at the next council meeting scheduled for August 7th at 7:00pm. Also, at that meeting, the council will discuss the upcoming appointment of two more council members. State law requires that the council have seven members once the city has surpassed 5,000 residents. Because this happens rarely, there is some debate about the required timeline to complete the additional appointments. 

Anyone interested in a possible appointment with the council must be a city resident for at least one year, 18 years old, and a registered voter. The current council has made it clear that attending city council meetings is a significant factor in who they choose to appoint. The Deer Park Gazette also records videos of the city council meetings, which are available on YouTube at DPGazette.com/youtube. A video of the last meeting held on July 17th, 2024, will be available on YouTube in a few days.