Candidates interested in serving on the Traverse City commission have until 5pm Wednesday (November 30) to submit a letter of interest and resume electronically or in person to the city clerk's office. Commissioners will be interviewing applicants in December and appointing one to fill a seat from January through November 2023 that will be vacated by Commissioner Ashlea Walter, who is departing at the end of the year to serve on the Grand Traverse County commission.

So far two candidates have submitted applications to be considered for Walter's seat, according to City Clerk Benjamin Marentette. Past city commission openings have traditionally generated an average of 10-15 applications, according to Marentette. Interested applicants must be city residents, registered voter for at least 30 continuous days prior to the appointment, and not in default to the city. In their letter of interest, applicants should "articulate why they desire to serve on the city commission and why they believe they would contribute meaningfully on the city commission," according to a city release. Applications can be submitted in person to the city clerk at the Governmental Center on Boardman Avenue or by email to tcclerk@traversecitymi.gov.

Provided there are fewer than 12 individuals who apply, all eligible candidates will be invited to an interview on December 14 at 7pm. An additional date of December 21 has been secured for more interviews if needed. If there are more than 12 eligible candidates, the city commission will discuss who to invite for interviews. The city is advising interested individuals who apply to hold both dates on their calendars. The city clerk will inform candidates on December 1 if they are being interviewed; or, if more than 12 candidates applied, that the commission will meet and decide who to invite for interview.

Interviews will be open to the public, televised, and streamed. Interviews will begin with allowing candidates up to three minutes to make an opening statement. Candidates will be interviewed individually, and will participate in a randomly selected order, with each member of the commission posing questions. Questions will not be provided in advance. City commissioners will ultimately appoint an individual to serve by at least four affirmative votes. The individual selected will be sworn in by the city clerk at their first official meeting in 2023. In addition, an orientation will be provided to the appointed commissioner with Marentette, City Manager Martin Colburn, and City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht.