A total of 13 people were interviewed by the City Council on Tuesday as the Council prepares to fill an open seat on the dais.

The special meeting took about three hours, significantly less than the six hours councilmembers expected Monday night, but before the interviews on Tuesday, five of the 18 people who initially filed to join the council withdrew from consideration.

The applicants are all seeking to replace Terri Briere, who died Nov. 9.

Among the names are former candidates, business owners, Homeowners Association presidents and average citizens from a variety of backgrounds.

The decision on who will replace Briere will be made by the City Council during Monday’s meeting. The new council member will serve until the General Election in November 2015, at which point they will have to run for re-election. The winner of that election will serve the remainder of Briere’s term and will have to run again in 2017.

The seat was open to all registered Renton voters who have lived in the city for more than one year. Candidates had to file letters of interest and any other materials outlining qualifications, including letters of recommendation, by noon Monday.

The 13 candidates interviewed Tuesday were (in alphabetical order by first name, as provided by the city): Beth Asher, Carol Ann Witschi, Charlene Pogue, Debra Leroy, James Flynn, Jan Ennis, KB Van Horn,  Mark Martinez, Marven Rosette, Mike Snow, Patrick Hillyer, Robin Jones and Ruth Perez.

Before the meeting, Renate Beedon and William Roenicke both pulled their names form consideration. Jim Weisen did not attend the meeting and Tacob Fruehling and Larry Wright both left before their interviews.

Coucilmembers said they were impressed by all of the candidates.

“The caliber of the people was just so high,” Councilwoman Marcie Palmer said Wednesday. “It was very impressive.”

“There were some very, very talented candidates,” agreed Councilman Ed Prince.

The council on Monday agreed to the interview process following a lengthy discussion on the best way to proceed. Ultimately, the council went with a suggestion from Concilman Randy Corman to give each candidate five minutes to present themselves and then 10 minutes to answer question from the council.

On Wednesday, Prince credited Corman for the suggestion, which he said worked out exceptionally well.

Palmer said the first candidate set the tone for the evening when he told the council he had put all of his information in his application and resume and immediately opened it to questions.

Palmer said the others followed suit and that helped speed the process.

Each candidate was sent a list of 22 sample questions used the last time the council selected a replacement in January 2008. During that process, there were 11 candidates and three rounds of balloting and Rich Zwicker was appointed to the council. The process took 2 hours and 45 minutes.

The sample questions sent to each candidate include things like “In what areas do you think Renton should provide more or better services than are currently being provided, and how should added services be funded?” and “Describe how you approach solving a problem” or “Please describe your understanding of the differences in the roles of the City Council, the Mayor and Staff.”

Also included are more specific questions, including asking about balancing density with Growth Management Act requirements, how the candidate would handle a call about tall grass in a right-of-way near their home, knowledge of state Public Disclosure Laws and even “What past decisions of the Council are you least supportive of?”

Candidates were told the questions were only samples and not necessarily what would be asked.

According to Prince, the actual questions ranged from budget-related questions about specific revenue models to how they work with others and would communicate with the city’s diverse population. He said each candidate was prepared and ready to answer.

“I think they all did great,” he said.

The decision now shifts to the city council, who is expected to choose a replacement Monday.

Anyone wishing to watch the interview process can view the video at www.rentonwa.gov.