The Banks City Council appointed April Cannon to fill its last vacant coucil seat Tuesday, July 8. (Jaime Valdez/Forest Grove News-Times)

The Banks City Council is back to full capacity after a year marked by resignations and reshuffling at the top.

In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, July 8, councilors appointed political newcomer April Cannon to fill the Position 2 council seat left vacant for the past three months.

Cannon was one of two candidates — alongside longtime resident Megan Blake — seeking to replace Don Giannetti, who stepped down in April due to family matters. Giannetti, initially appointed to an empty seat early last year, had just secured a full four-year term in an unopposed November 2024 race before resigning.

“I’m honored to be here and be chosen,” Cannon, whose term expires at the end of 2028, said.

Council swaps and shifts

Cannon joins a council that looks noticeably different than it did when the dust settled from November’s general election.

Shortly after Election Day, Councilor Catherine Sawyer resigned as her family was relocating. Following an interview process, Pearcia Bogroff was appointed to serve the remainder of her term ending in 2026.

Mayor Marsha Kirk also vacated her council seat in November when she defeated incumbent Stephanie Jones for the city’s top job. But Jones didn’t stay off the dais for long — applying for Kirk’s former council seat in January and beating out Cannon and Blake in the process.

Tension at the top

Cannon’s appointment didn’t come without friction. Ahead of the July 8 meeting, Kirk proposed forgoing interviews and directly appointing Blake — deviating from the process used earlier this year.

According to Kirk, the move was meant to streamline the selection and followed precedent from mayors appointing councilors over the past six years. Blake, she noted, had received the second-most votes behind Jones during January’s appointment process.

“We have talked to each of them at least once before, and it seems redundant to do it again,” Kirk wrote in an email to council, explaining her proposed change to the agenda.

According to city code, vacancies are filled by appointment and must be approved by a council majority. Kirk’s motion to appoint Blake without interviews failed, and the council opted to speak with both candidates before making a decision.

The division on the vote echoes existing rifts between city leaders, with Kirk expressing viewed opposition from the majority of the council. She told the News-Times she hoped to bring Blake in to move away from the “like-mindedness” in leadership and “bring some fresh perspectives to the council.”

“No matter what, you guys got the votes against me, and it doesn’t really matter who comes in,” she told council amid pushback.

As Cannon steps into her new role, she hopes the council can break away from the tension to work together in addressing city issues.

“From just being here this afternoon, we want to foster more teamwork instead of being against each other,” she said during her council interview.