By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

CHELSEA – The Chelsea City Council approved Arthur Fisher Jr. to serve on council seat four during a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

Chelsea City Council seat No. 4 became vacant after Tiffany Bittner resigned from the position in August. Fisher will serve the remainder of the term until the next election in 2025.

“Arthur Fisher has served this city on a volunteer basis on our planning commission for quite some time,”  Mayor Tony Picklesimer said.

Fisher was previously appointed to serve the Chelsea Planning Commission in August 2022.

“He has been attending city council very faithfully for years,” Picklesimer said. “He has familiarized himself with the business of the council, volunteered to serve on the planning commission and served it very well. That was really the deciding factor to give someone that has put in the work to try to learn how everything works around here to appoint them to that seat.”

Fisher was not present at the meeting to be sworn in due to being sick with COVID-19. He will be officially sworn into the position during the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

After council seat No. 4 was declared vacant during a meeting on Sept. 5 the Chelsea City Council interviewed 17 applicants to fill the position.

“I would like to say a hearty, ‘Thank you’ to the 17 citizens that filled out applications and questionnaires and applied for our vacant council seat,” Picklesimer said. “It was very refreshing to have that many people offer themselves up for service and we are very grateful.

“Most of the interviewees suggested in their interview that they would be willing to serve our city in another capacity if they weren’t selected for the vacant council seat. Since the conclusion of the interview process, several of the candidates have agreed to serve our city in other capacities. It’s really heartwarming for that many people to offer to serve our city.”