Although the Jackson City Council race is too close to call, there’s one new position on the council that is not under scrutiny. At a special meeting Wednesday evening, the council appointed local business owner Pat Crew to fill the vacancy left by Andy Rodriguez’s resignation on October 6th. The city, which took applications for the empty seat through October 30th, and also allowed election candidates to apply, received seven applications, two of which were from candidates, Keith Sweet and Judy Jebian. The remaining applicants included Tony D’Arcy, Ron Regan, Pat Crew, Jim Laughton, and Thornton Consolo. A common goal stated by all applicants was a love of Jackson and Amador County and most felt that growth in the city should be moderated. Jebian felt that growth should be “carefully controlled,” and Consolo expressed his opinion that he is not against growth, but “big department stores” are bad for local small businesses. Each candidate came to the podium to make a statement and answer questions from the current council. The main concern shared by the council was each candidate’s time commitment. Most stated that they had flexible work schedules and would devote the needed time for council meetings, whether they were at night or during the day. Pat Crew informed the council that because of his established business and “great employees,” he would be able to meet any and all council commitments. Crew, who was chair of the county’s General Plan Advisory Committee, believes his experience “would give a unique and essential perspective on growth and land use issues.” Owner of Jackson Tire for over 36 years, Crew stated that there is “nothing more important than this city to me.” When asked how he felt about winning the appointment, he said he was “ happy to be chosen.” Crew’s first meeting with the council was this Monday, November 10th. Story by Jen Wilson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).