The face of the Cedar Springs City Council is quite different now that three new members make up the seven-person board. One of those members, Mark Fankhauser, was appointed Thursday evening to fill the unexpired seat of Neil Gomez.

The city held interviews for the position on Tuesday, December 11. Applying was Sherri Foster, who works for the Kent County Prosecutor’s office and is president of The Pines Homeowners Association; Perry Hopkins, owner of Kin of Hope Natural Health and Perry’s Place LLC for herbs, teas and more; Fankhauser, a firefighter for the City of Grand Rapids who also sits on the GR Firefighter’s Union executive board and the Board of Directors for Rockford Community Credit Union; and Gerald Hall, former City of Cedar Springs DPW Director and a former Cedar Springs Public Schools Board of Education member.

Hall was not able to make the interview day, and several people thought he should still be given the chance to interview at a different time or at least be considered. A motion was made on the issue but it was tied 3-3 so was defeated.

The City Council also chose their Mayor Pro Tem for 2012-2013. Former Mayor Charlie Watson was voted into that position.