The Lacey City Council has appointed Kim Sauer to fill a vacant city council seat.
Sauer is a longtime Lacey resident and business diversity program manager for the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services.
When asked in her application what her vision is for the City of Lacey, Sauer wrote, “My vision for the City of Lacey is a vibrant, inclusive, and forward-looking community where economic opportunity is accessible to everyone, public governance is transparent and welcoming, and our natural beauty is preserved for future generations. I see Lacey as a model city that bridges economic growth with community belonging — a place where small businesses and international enterprises thrive, neighborhoods are safe and connected, and diverse voices directly shape our public policies.”
Saur will serve out the remainder of former Councilmember Nic Dunning’s term, which began in January 2024 and expires at the end of 2027.
The City of Lacey issued a call for applicants after Dunning resigned from his seat on Aug. 18.
Dunning was first elected to Lacey City Council in November 2023 and is currently running for the Thurston County Board of Commissioners.
The City of Lacey received 29 applications for the vacancy. Of those, 20 were interviewed by the six remaining city council members on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Mayor Andy Ryder commented that he was “really overwhelmed with the quality of our applicants today,” adding, “I truly believe any of our applicants could step into this role and be a contributing member of this council to make our community a better place.”
At the start of deliberations, councilmembers said they were looking for a candidate who was involved in the Lacey community and who could hit the ground running once appointed.
Councilmember Carolyn Cox encouraged all of the applicants to consider running for a council seat in 2027, when three of the city council’s seven seats — including Dunning’s — are up for election.
“Never say die, right?” Cox said.
Councilmember Ryan Siu further encouraged applicants to find other ways to get involved in Lacey’s community, such as being on advisory boards or volunteering through the parks department.
“We love seeing you all here, and we hope to continue to see you here,” Siu said.
Councilmembers narrowed the 20 candidate interview pool down to 11 candidates during initial deliberations Tuesday night. The pool was further narrowed down over the next hour to four candidates for the council members to vote on.
Those four candidates were Sauer, Cecilia Candida Zamprelli-Jones, Rosillo Rias and Robert Lane.
Zamprelli-Jones and Lane each received three votes before Saur received the needed four-vote majority to be appointed to the seat.
Ryder, Cox, Deputy Mayor Malcolm Miller and Councilmember Maren Turner voted in favor of Saur’s appointment. Siu and Lenny Greenstein opposed.
Sauer was sworn in immediately after the vote.
Sauer’s full application is included in the agenda packet for the Lacey City Council’s Oct. 20 meeting, accessible online at cityoflacey.org/government/public-meetings.
