Jane Meyer Brahm Appointed to Mercer Island City Council

In a process heralded by Mayor Jim Pearman as one "conducted in the brightness of day," selected Jane Meyer Brahm as the city's newest councilmember at a Jan. 18 public meeting at .

Meyer Brahm was appointed from a pool of 17 applicants for the Position No. 1 seat on the City Council, by current . She has been a resident since 1976 and was editor of the from 1994-2003 and most recently served as head of the Mercer Island Sister City Association. Meyer Brahm will be formally sworn in on Feb. 7.

"Some issues never go away, but they often come back in a different form," she said. "I have the perspective of seeing the long-term, which I hope will good for the Council."

Mayor Pearman to replace Litzow on Dec. 13 and council members began meeting with the applicants privately in the new year. , they were invited to make a public statement before the Council and submit to questions in a panel-style "interview," though only Councilmember Mike Cero asked questions.

Opening the meeting, Pearman had hoped to strike the right tone by again complimenting the large number and quality of applicants.

"This evening's going to be a special evening," he said.

City Clerk Ali Spietz would conduct the vote, which required the six council members to first nominate their choices before any voting would take place. The candidate with a four-vote majority would be declared the Council's consensus choice.

But before the nominations were made, the tone quickly changed during the public comment period. Local resident and self-styled open government advocate Ira Appleman derided the appointment process, with a Jan. 13 public interview hearing, as a sham. He claimed a number of the applicants had been hand-picked in advance and most council members had already chosen their favorite candidate, Meyer Brahm, before the process had started. He also claimed the same cloak of secrecy surrounded the appointment of former Councilmember Susan Blake in 1999 when nine others had applied.

"She knows how the system works," Appleman said, "from her time as Editor of the (Mercer Island Reporter) 'Distorter' and her deceptive … support of the City Council."

In response, Pearman tried to refrain from comment, but observed that Appleman had likely "offended a lot of good people."

Council members then offered their nominations, then all voted for their own selections: Dan Grausz chose Deborah Bertlin; Mike Grady selected Steven Marshall; Pearman chose Meyer Brahm; Cero named Aaron Kornblum as his choice; and El Jahncke named Patricia Darling.

"She would bring a nice touch to this council," Jahncke said. "I have a feeling she could kick some butt, take some names and get some things straightened out around here."

Councilmember Bruce Bassett spent a few moments rebutting Appleman's accusations of rigging the process before naming his pick of Tana Senn.

In the second round of voting, Bassett switched his support to Meyer Brahm, while Cero and Grady switched their support to Darling, citing her experience on the campaign trail as a sign of commitment and sacrifice.

Bassett, who ran against Darling in 2007, said his support for Meyer Brahm was based on her ability as a skilled communicator.

"I have talked at length with Jane and have a respect for her ability to articulate the issues," he said. "I'm comfortable staying with Jane."

Grausz stayed with his support of Bertlin.

"I do believe that Debbie has demonstrated that she knows how to work through the process on gaining consensus on this council," he said. "She would bring something to the council that Patty and Jane might not bring."

In the fourth-round of voting, Jahncke switched his support to Meyer Brahm and was followed by Grausz, giving the former journalist a 4-2 vote margin to win appointment to City Council.

"She's excited to serve," said husband Bob Brahm, who stood nearby as others congratulated Meyer Brahm. "The family's excited. And I'll support her."