YAKIMA -- Last week a Yakima councilman wanted two ex-council members removed as candidates to succeed Councilman Norm Johnson, and on Tuesday they fired back.

Former council members Paul George and Susan Whitman requested Tuesday that Councilman Micah Cawley remove himself from the process of appointing the next council member. They believe his motion to disqualify them — after the council voted to hear from all of the candidates — shows that he is biased against them.

“We were offended and appalled at the remarks made about us at the Dec. 2 council meeting,” George told the council, with Whitman by his side.

Twenty-six candidates remain for the seat, left open by Johnson’s election last month as a Republican 14th District state representative. John Shumaker, a chemical dependency counselor and art therapy coordinator at a Buena treatment center, withdrew from consideration Monday, citing other time commitments. He is the latest defector from a field that began with 29 applicants.

Whitman and George further charged that Cawley’s relationship with KIT-AM radio host Dave Ettl, another candidate for the office, is a conflict of interest. Cawley and Ettl are friends, neighbors and co-workers at Gap West Broadcasting, where Cawley goes by the name Cefus and plays requests from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on KDBL-FM.

Cawley said he has no plans to recuse himself from the appointment process. With six council members not counting Johnson and 26 candidates, there are bound to be personal relationships among some of them, he said.

“I know 20 people on that list,” he said.

-- Pat Muir