Two East Wenatchee council seats open after Magdoff, Stimmel resignations

EAST WENATCHEE — East Wenatchee is seeking applicants for two vacant City Council seats after Councilmember Taylor Stimmel resigned effective Sept. 15, becoming the second councilmember to step down this month.

Stimmel’s departure follows the resignation of Councilmember Shayne Magdoff, who stepped down earlier this month after eight years on the council.

Magdoff was appointed in June 2018 and served on several local boards and organizations during her tenure, including Our Valley Our Future, the Columbia River Homeless Housing Task Force, NCW Equity Alliance, the Housing Authority and the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center.

“Serving this community has been one of the great honors of my life,” Magdoff said in the city’s announcement of her departure.

The city thanked Magdoff for her “thoughtful leadership, advocacy, and commitment to East Wenatchee.” Her departure created the Position 5 vacancy for which the city was already preparing an appointment process when Stimmel resigned from Position 1.

Stimmel’s resignation was announced at the beginning of the Sept. 15 council meeting, when Councilmember Ken Arnold read a letter from Stimmel.

“It has been an honor to serve on the East Wenatchee City Council, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our community and work with the Mayor, Council, City staff, and so many people who care deeply about East Wenatchee,” Stimmel wrote.

“My responsibilities outside of Council have increased, and I have found it increasingly difficult to give the Council position the time and attention I believe it deserves,” he continued.

Stimmel also pointed to the other vacancy in explaining the timing of his resignation.

“With another vacancy occurring at this time, I also believe this is a reasonable time to transition and allow the Council to address both openings at the same time,” Stimmel wrote.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of the work being done in our city,” he added.

Stimmel was appointed to Position 1 in September 2025, making his tenure on the council approximately one year.

Mayor Jerrilea Crawford thanked Stimmel for his service and said she appreciated the perspective he brought to the council.

“I certainly wish that Councilmember Stimmel was here to let him know I appreciated his leadership, even just for the brief time that he was with us, but it’s always nice to have fresh ideas and fresh perspectives,” Crawford said.

Stimmel served on the council’s Finance Committee and participated in the city’s budget preparation process.

“Always grateful for his leadership and expertise, so we will miss him, but I’m sure he’ll be still very active in the community,” Crawford said.

Later in the meeting, council expanded the recruitment process that had been prepared for Magdoff’s Position 5 vacancy to include Stimmel’s Position 1 seat.

Applications were scheduled to open Sept. 16, with an Oct. 21 deadline. The city plans to advertise the vacancies during the application period.

Councilmembers are scheduled to review the applicants at their Nov. 3 meeting before conducting interviews during a special meeting Nov. 10. Under the proposed schedule, the two appointees would be sworn in Nov. 17.

Both positions have terms ending Dec. 31, 2027.

City staff noted that the recruitment comes during preparation of East Wenatchee’s 2027 budget and encouraged applicants to attend the council’s Oct. 14 budget workshop to become familiar with the process before interviews.

Councilmember Christine Johnson moved to begin the appointment process for Positions 1 and 5. Councilmember Ettore Castellente seconded the motion, and the council approved the recruitment process.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media