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Anita Eylar has been selected to fill Council Position #1 on Grand Coulee's city council. 

The seat was left vacant with former mayor and longtime Councilmember Tamara Byers choosing not to run for reelection in 2021, then the winner of that election, Ben Hughes, moving out of the city.

The city received letters of interest from three applicants for the open seat, including Eylar, Kim Christensen, and Ruth Dalton.

At their Jan. 18 city council meeting, the council asked Eylar and Dalton questions prior to their selection. Christensen was absent. 

Eylar outlined some of her experience with city government in Liberty Lake, from where she moved to Grand Coulee last year with her husband who has had family in the area for decades.

While in Liberty Lake, Eylar served on the Planning Commission and Arts & Parks Commission for the city, then worked for the city as an events coordinator.

She also detailed past volunteer work she's done, and said that she volunteers for the Grand Coulee Ridge Riders Club at the concession stand locally.

"As a city council member, I will commit to helping the council make decisions that positively affect the community, provide better services and fair opportunity for citizens," she wrote in her letter of interest. "A city council is the root of a community tree, and provides the resources and stability to help a community grow to its fullest potential." 

"My desire to be part of the Grand Coulee City Council is twofold," she told The Star in an email after being selected. "First, I am a strong believer that a community is derived from those who invest in their community; volunteering or serving in many capacities, taking an interest and welcoming visitors for commerce and recreation to make their community a great place. Second, I want to serve not only with my current volunteering activities for the community, but to also understand the local government processes and contribute in a way that benefits the community as a whole."