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There are officially eight candidates vying for the Metro Council District 6 position that was vacated by Councilor Robert Liberty in mid January.

The deadline to fill the vacant spot – which Liberty left in order to take a position at the University of Oregon in Eugene – passed on Wednesday night with eight qualified applications turned in, three of which are widely recognized around the region:

• Barbara Roberts, former Oregon Governor
• Bob Stacey, former executive director of 1000 Friends of Oregon and former chief of staff to Congressman Earl Blumenauer. Stacey also ran against newly elected Metro President Tom Hughes in 2010.
• Bob Shiprack, former executive secretary of the Oregon State Building Trades Council as well as a six term member of the Oregon House of Representatives.
• Martha Dibblee, a retired health physicist and consultant who has served on the Energy Facility Sitting Council.
• Kenneth Heggem, a sales representative with Columbia Northwest Heating and board member of Portland’s Woodstock Neighborhood Association.
• Jonathan Levine, a former project manager with the University of Western States.
• Walt Nichols, chair of the Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association and an unsuccessful candidate for Portland City Council in 2010.
• Alesia Reese, a member of the Parkrose School District board, as well as chair of the Woodland Park Neighborhood Association and East Portland Parks Coalition.

Both Stacey and Shiprack were tagged as viable candidates for the position since the time Liberty announced his resignation, and Roberts, as a former governor, has a wide appeal.

Stacey lost a very tight race to Hughes in November. Even though the race was close, the two are good friends.

The five current Metro Councilors and Hughes will interview the applicants in a public meeting and hear public testimony at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at the David Douglas School District headquarters in East Portland.

At the conclusion of the public meeting, the Metro Council will decide whether to appoint the new councilor on the spot or invite a small group of finalists for a public debate. If the debate occurs, it will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at the Metro Regional Center. The Council would then vote on the appointment at its regular meeting on Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.

District 6 represents a large portion of southern Multnomah County, including parts of Southwest, Southeast and Northeast Portland. Whomever is selected for the position will serve the remainder of Liberty’s term, which ends in January of 2013.