At the ceremonial swearing-in of Lisa Stirgus, the newest member of the Auburn City Council, on April 22, her husband, daughter, aunt, and other loved ones added their delighted decibels to the gales of cheering that swept through council chambers.

Forty-five people had applied for the seat, with Stirgus and former councilmember John Holman being the two finalists. When she learned that councilmembers had chosen her, Stirgus was all smiles and tears.

But later that same week, after she’d gotten a first look at the fat packet of council reading materials she was expected to study for the April 28 meeting, she had a different reaction.

“’Scared as hell,” Stirgus admitted of her introduction to the complexities of Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act, which she is now bound to by law after an oath she took to follow it. “Gosh, I never knew the (WOPMA) even existed. Now, I am scared to take a note. … I didn’t know what you meant before. Now I understand.”

Fright, however, coupled with gratitude for the hours of training she’d received from City Clerk Shawn Campbell and Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, whom she called “my mentors.”

“It doesn’t happen very often,” Backus said, impressed by the number of people who had come to witness someone take the oath for an appointed position, events that typically do not draw many people. “It (the attendance) means that people are engaged in their community.”

Before this most recent oath-taking, Backus noted, were Cheryl Rakes in January 2023, who’d applied to finish the unexpired term of Chris Stearns — now State Rep. Stearns — and in July 20o3, it was Backus.

In 2022, Stirgus applied to fill Stearns’ vacated position, but lost to now-Deputy Mayor Rakes.

“I’ve known Lisa for several years… she’s one those people who just exudes enthusiasm, confidence, character, integrity and a desire to be involve to make our city a better place,” Rakes said.

Stirgus was offically sworn in during a private meeting the day after her appointment to fill the time remaining on former councilmember Larry Brown’s four-year council term. She will seek a full four-year term in the general election in November 2025. Brown retired on Feb. 16 because of a medical condition.