Wapato council says no to only applicant for open seat

WAPATO, Wash. -- Empty seats on the Wapato City Council are nothing new.

Last year, two of the council's seven seats remained unfilled for three months before anyone showed any interest in serving as a council member.

And this year, the lone applicant for another seat that has been empty since January is being turned away.

"The only thing that gets to me is they have a vacancy and no one has bothered to apply, and here comes someone and then they turn me down," said Elvia Lopez, a former council member who applied for the post Monday night.

She says the move is all political. Lopez, a 34-year-old Wapato substitute teacher, said she's interested in bringing youth activities to Wapato, while most of the seven-member council is more concerned with supporting local liquor licenses in this rural Lower Valley town of 4,555 people. She served on the council from November 2004 until January 2006, after losing her seat to Lloyd Benscoter.

"They know where I stand," Lopez said of current council members, "and of course they don't want me."

Monday night, the City Council declined to appoint her to Position 6, which was vacated by Frank
Rodriguez in January.

Council members said this week they denied her the post because her past tenure on the council was too closely aligned with former councilman Juan Orozco, who they consider too controversial.

"I don't think she'd be a good fit," said Mayor pro tem Tony Guzman. "I think she'd cause unnecessary friction."

Lopez supports youth activities and wants fewer liquor licenses in town, where panhandling and public intoxication have been longstanding problems.

A majority of the council has routinely supported local businesses and liquor licenses in an effort to keep sales tax revenue flowing into city coffers. And given Wapato's budget problems, there's little incentive to change policy.

In fact, Rodriguez cited the council's support of liquor licenses as his reason for resigning from his seat.

On Monday, Councilman Cuco Roa made a motion for the council to consider Lopez's application for the vacancy, but it died due to a lack of a second.

Council members kept their heads low and said nothing, Lopez said.

"They didn't even give me any eye contact," she said.

Roa, Lopez's only supporter on the council, said he was frustrated that the council wouldn't second his motion to consider her application, especially since she's the only applicant.

He said a union representing the city's police department even submitted a letter to the council in support of her appointment.

"She was a community center volunteer and worked for the betterment of youth while on the council," said Roa, who served with her. "She's well qualified."

Mayor Jesse Farias said he didn't have an opinion on Lopez's application because he doesn't have a vote in her appointment. He wouldn't comment on the overall lack of interest among Wapato residents in City Council positions.

According to state law, Yakima County commissioners are to appoint someone to city council posts that remain vacant more than 90 days.

But that's a move that county commissioners are only willing to take if asked by Wapato, said Commissioner Rand Elliott.

"I guess we aren't inclined to stick our nose into Wapato's business without an invitation," he said. "Nobody is even claiming to be a qualified person. It's kind of tough."

Now, the City Council plans to advertise the position again.

"We've been actively seeking somebody to fill that position," Guzman said. "Somebody that's qualified, not somebody that's interested in fulfilling their own self-made agenda."

Either way, Lopez says she's not going away.

"I told them I would be back again," she said.

* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 509-577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.