Jersey Village City Council appointed business owner and former city councilman Greg Holden to Position 2 at its Jan. 20 meeting. The seat was vacated by Sandra Joachim in November. Holden will hold the seat through to Election Day in May, when it be put on the ballot.

"I appreciate council bringing me on board, and I hope I can bring a little experience and insight to the table from my years as a councilman," Holden said.

Holden, who served four terms on city council from 2001–2009, was one of nine candidates who applied for the open seat. He was selected based on a voting process that involved city council and the mayor. Each candidate got the chance to address council with a five minute speech on why they should be chosen. With council split 2–2 between Holden and candidate Tom Eustace, Mayor Rod Erskine cast the deciding vote to put Holden in the spot.

Erskine said he chose Holden because of his past council experience.

"Since the seat goes back up for election in May, this is a short-term appointment," he said. "With Greg's past service to the city, I knew he was someone we could get up to speed quickly. The voters will get to decide in a few months who holds the seat moving forward."

Councilman Justin Ray, who also voted for Holden, said he was looking for a candidate that understood the matters facing the city, was connected to the residents and had previous involvement serving the city.

Erskine and several council members also commented on the size and quality of the candidate pool.

"Based on the number of people who filed to run for the seat when it was up for election last year, I never would've thought we'd have this many qualified candidates," Erskine said.

Positions 1, 4 and 5—held by Justin Ray, Sheri Sheppard and Jill Klein, respectively—are up for election this year on Election Day, May 10. Holden in Position 2 will be up for election as well. Candidates looking to be included on the ballot must file with the city by Feb. 28. Learn more on the city's website.