17 vie for seat on Provo City Council

PROVO — Only one seat is available on the Provo City Council, but 17 people made their pitches for the job on Thursday before their potential peers.

The council will announce who will fill the seat vacated by George Stewart when it begins its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the City Center, 351 W. Center. Stewart resigned his seat to serve a mission with his wife for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The 17 candidates are David Acheson, James Anderson, John Beesley, David Cabanilla, Dean Cofer, Mark Hathaway, S. Kim Hodges, R. Nicolaas Leydsman, James R. Mathis, Charles McElwee, Melanie McCoard, Neil Mitchell, Coy Porter, David Starling, Richard P. Valgardson, Vernon K. Van Buren and Alvin Lindsay Wiblin.

A total of 22 applied for the position. Four withdrew. Charm Jones applied but did not fill out the questionnaire prepared by the council and did not make a presentation Thursday afternoon.

— Tad Walch