The North Pole City Council is losing another member, with newly-elected Ellen Glab resigning her seat due to a move out of state.
Glab’s resignation letter, submitted last month, marks the second time in recent weeks that the North Pole City Council member quit the job early, reducing active members from six to four. As KUAC reported earlier this month, former Councilmember Chandra Clack bowed out with six months left in her term to help homeschool her grandchildren.
Glab claimed a spot on the council after an effectively uncontested race during October’s municipal elections, when she and Councilmember Santa Claus were the only candidates for two open seats.
Her abbreviated stint leaves about two and a half years of her term on the table, and at Monday’s meeting, Glab thanked other council members for their understanding.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer. I really didn’t think I’d be leaving this quickly. And I have truly enjoyed my time, not only as I was [an employee] with the City of North Pole but also my time on this council,” she said.
In June of last year, the council unanimously voted to remove then-Mayor Michael Welch from office over concerns that he was unable to carry out his duties. And on Monday, Councilmember Jeffrey Jacobson described Glab's contribution as a stabilizing force that followed some difficult decisions.
“Even though your time on the council has been short, you’ve been very informative and helpful and we needed that stability. So thank you for helping us. We had gone through a really rough patch,” he said.
Three years is the standard term length for the North Pole City Council. But City Clerk Emily Brainiff explained Monday that this year’s municipal election ballot will shake out a little differently.
“So the ballot this year – we will have two council seats that’ll be two three-year terms, and then there’ll be a two year term on the ballot, and a one year term,” she said.
The two-year seat will finish out Glab’s original term, while the one-year seat will complete the term for now-Mayor Larry Terch, who was on the council prior to being elected mayor.
In the meantime, the city is still accepting applications to fill Glab and Clack’s seats until this year's municipal elections in October.
The North Pole City Council intends interview those applicants at their April 21 meeting. Glab's resignation is effective April 7.