Taylor completes Centerville council

BY LORETTA HARDING CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Centerville City Council is whole again, after her new fellow council members voted 2-1 to appoint Dr. Raye Taylor to the seat left vacant by Michelle Lakso.

She assumed office on March 9 and will serve through 2024, unless council holds a special election prior to the November 2024 election.

Mayor D. Love and the other council members said they were pleased with the four candidates who came forward, and thanked each of them.

“We couldn’t lose,” Love said. “Great people came forward. But it was time the council made the decision to fill the seat, because you never know what might happen.”

The appointment came almost two months after Lakso formally submitted her resignation on Jan. 11. At first, council talked about trying to have Lakso’s replacement seated within a month. But the thoughtful approach turned out to be beneficial, because it allowed more candidates to apply for the position, Council Member Russ Koski said.

“It really mattered that we took our time to talk about this,” Love said. “I was ready to move forward a while ago, but I’ve had time to think.”

The Roseville campus has been in urgent need of more space for years. It was constructed in 2002 with the expectation of 10,000 patients, but by 2019 the facility was hosting more than 15,000 and still receiving new cases. At its busiest, the WRC takes in up to 250 animals in a single day.

“Seventy percent of our patients come in during the