Sterling Council appoints Marty Smock, still faces one vacancy

Sterling’s City Council filled the Ward 2 seat with Marty Smock, but the work of restoring a full council was not finished because one other opening remained. The appointment came after Kellan Raffaeli resigned on April 3, leaving city leaders to keep moving quickly so the council could keep handling routine business without a prolonged gap in representation.

That matters in Ward 2, which the city says is generally bounded by Chestnut Street, or Highway 6, on the south, 5th and 6th streets on the west, and the municipal boundaries to the north and east. The ward includes households that depend on council votes on budgets, ordinances, street work, utilities and other daily decisions that shape how Sterling operates.

The city posted the Ward 2 vacancy on March 25, showing the process had been underway for at least three weeks before Smock was appointed on April 14. Sterling’s council calendar listed meetings for April 14 and April 28, placing the vacancy issue squarely on the regular agenda rather than treating it as a side matter.

Applicants for the Ward 2 post had to submit an application and resume, and the city said applications would be accepted until the vacancy was filled. The notice required appointees to be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old, Sterling residents for 12 consecutive months and residents of the ward for at least 90 days before appointment. Applications could be requested by email, mail or in person at City Hall, 421 North 4th Street.

Smock’s appointment also carries a local civic history. A 2013 Journal-Advocate item identified him as returning to the RE-1 Valley School Board, a reminder that he is not new to public service in Logan County.

Even with Smock seated, another council seat remained open after Raffaeli’s resignation, leaving Sterling still in transition. In a smaller city, one vacancy can influence the pace and tone of council work, especially when residents are watching decisions tied to services, public works and the city’s relationship with county government. For Ward 2, the appointment restores one voice, but the council still has unfinished business before it is back at full strength.