After more than two hours of interviews, the Coos Bay City Council Wednesday night appointed Michele Burnette to fill Mayor Jeff McKeown's vacant position on the council.

Out of nine applicants, including several candidates from the November election, Burnette was chosen by a vote of 4-2. Councilors John Muenchrath and Stephanie Kramer voted for Gene Melton, who received the fourth-most votes in the November general election. McKeown and councilors Roger Gould, Jon Eck and Mark Daily voted for Burnette.

Burnette, who recently retired from Sterling Savings Bank, has spent six years on the city's Budget Committee. She also is the secretary for the Coquille Economic Development Corp. Board of Directors, a member of the ShoreBank Enterprise Pacific Board, chairwoman of the Coquille Tribe Community Fund board of trustees and a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum.

A lifelong Coos Bay resident, Burnette describes herself as a “community person,” with a good understanding of budget issues and the concept urban renewal districts and funding.

“She seems sensible and sounds open-minded,” Kramer.

The council voted twice in order to select a candidate by a majority vote, ending up with Burnette.

“All of the applicants were really great,” McKeown said. “Any one of them could have done the job.”

There will be more information on the council's selection in Friday's edition of The World.