In a 5-1 vote, Blaine City Council appointed Eric Lewis to step in as the Ward 1 Position 2 councilmember during its October 14 meeting.
“I still want to be able to look at Blaine with fresh eyes. I don’t want to make any assumptions about Blaine,” Lewis said after the meeting. “I’m going to be energetic, out and about researching and learning. I want to improve things for the people of Blaine. I’m very excited.”
Lewis is filling the vacancy left empty in August by Kerena Higgins, who moved out of the ward. The seat serves east, southeast and part of central Blaine.
Lewis said he wanted to maintain the beauty and stability of Blaine, while supporting “common sense” development for the city. He said he wanted to prioritize improving the city’s disaster preparedness and envisioned a centrally located facility for performing arts and artwork that would have a permanent place in the community.
Lewis moved to Blaine with his family in 2009 and is a semi-retired electrician. He’s a member of Blaine Community Theater and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9474 in Custer as well as a duty officer for the American Red Cross.
Lewis holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and biochemistry from Western Washington University and a master’s degree in forensic science from Arizona State University, which he obtained in 2023.
Councilmembers nominated their top two candidates. Juliana Kenny, who owns a copywriting and brand strategy business, was the second candidate favored by the majority of council. Councilmember Rhyan Lopez, who nominated Kenny and Lewis, was the opposing vote for Lewis.
Councilmember Richard May thanked all of the applicants and councilmember Eric Davidson emphasized that the appointment was a tough decision.
“I want to live up to this privilege,” Lewis said. “I have a lot of work to do.”
