The Ripon City Council will conduct interviews on nine candidates Tuesday vying for the one provisional appointed seat.

It’s part of a special session process beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber, 259 N. Wilma Ave.

Gary Barton, Richard Kohl, Debra Van Essen, George Saljian, Steven Verner, Rex Rodgers, Michael Ferraro, Tamra Spade and F. Phillip Kruger submitted applications last month for the post previously occupied by Tim Wheeler.

Wheeler was elected back in November 2020 but recently resigned after moving his family to Montana.

The candidates were scheduled to receive a letter that outlines the interviewing process for the evening.

Elected leaders agreed on that at the Nov. 23 special session.

They were also asked to arrive 15 minutes early to this upcoming meeting. Their names will be drawn to determine the order of the interviews.

City Administrator Kevin Werner noted at the previous special session that candidates, who will be isolated in the conference room while in waiting, be asked to stay off all electronic devices “in order to preserve the integrity of the interview process” while eliminating any idea that any one candidate of receiving questions before the interviews.

Interviewing process will be a minimum 20 minutes – each candidate will have time to give opening and closing statements.

Council, in the aftermath, will be given ballots.

“If one individual receives three votes (among the four elected leaders), that person will be drafted into the resolution to be appointed on the Dec. 14 meeting,” Werner said.

He added: “If no one individual receives three votes, council members will turn in their overall rankings and a cumulative score will be published to be voted on – this process will be repeated until a candidate receives three votes.”

For more information, log on to www.cityofripon.org