With news of Councilwoman Terri Briere’s death on Sunday, one of the questions that has arisen is how her replacement on the City Council will be chosen.

Under city policy, the Council will select and appoint a new member by majority vote, based on applicants to the council of interested candidates.

Potential candidates for a council vacancy must be a registered voter in the City of Renton and have residency within the city limits for at least one year prior to consideration.

The City Council on Monday, Nov. 17, will officially announce the vacancy and request and encourage all interested and qualified persons to submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk. Additional materials outlining a candidate’s interests and qualifications may also be submitted.

A deadline for applicants will be determined by the Council and the position will be advertised.

Once the deadline for submissions passes, the Council will meet and review the applicants in an open session. The Council will have the choice of selecting a new member at the time or choose a slate of candidates to be interviewed at the following Committee of the Whole meeting.

Should the council elect to interview candidates, each candidate will have a formal interview of up to 30 minutes in which they will be asked to present their credentials and respond to a slate of predetermined questions approved by the Council. Each candidate will have the same questions.

There will follow an informal question and answer period with the council.

The council will then vote on candidates until a nominee receives a majority of four votes.

The chosen candidate will begin serving at the the next meeting and will serve on the council until the next general election, November 2015. If elected by the people at that time, the councilmember will serve the remainder of Briere’s term and will have to run for re-election in 2017.