The Winnebago City Council came up short at election time, but made up for it before their first regular meeting of the year.

The City Council made a unanimous decision to appoint Dean Johnson, of Winnebago, to take the vacant seat on the council left by Jonathan Weerts.

They met on Jan. 5 during a special meeting to interview candidates for the vacant seat. Two people expressed interest in the position and were interviewed by the full council.

Johnson and Glory Nietfeld were the two candidates and were asked a series of questions by council members.

“I’m glad we had two applicants,”?councilman Rick Johnson said. “It’s good to see some interest.”

“It shows the genuine interest the people have in the community,”?Jean Anderson added.

And that was one thing that Johnson expressed during his interview with the council.

He grew up in Winnebago, attending school in town from kindergarten through 12th grade. He went to St. Cloud State University and majored in speech therapy and counseling.

“I?spent my time working mainly in public school,” he said. “I worked a number of years in Minneota and then 14 years in Oregon.”

He says that his experience working in Oregon is what has prepared him to work on a council.

“I?served on a number of boards church or nonprofit boards,” he said. “I?held several positions while serving on the Oregon School Counseling Board.”

Johnson told the council he had served as president, president elect, worked with the budget and much more.

“I have been to your meetings and you are very efficient and well run,”?he added.

Johnson returned to Winnebago just over seven years ago when he accepted a job with Southern Plains Cooperative where he served as a speech therapist. Now, he is retired and living in Winnebago.

“I am able to listen to people I?already know what I?feel but you need to listen and discover where other people are coming from,”?Johnson said.

One thing he would like to see more of is younger people, and for more focus to return to the school.

“When I grew up here, there were lots of kids that school was the center part of the community,”?he said.

Johnson added that although the school isn’t what it used to be, the involvement of the community in volunteering has caught his eye.

The council also interviewed Glory Nietfeld, of Winnebago.

She told the council her varied background in computer programming would help her in making decisions as a part of the council.

Nietfeld is currently an employee at Parker Oaks and has been enjoying living in the community of Winnebago.

“I moved here four years ago I wanted a sense of small town,”?Nietfeld told the council. “I love it here, and my major goal is the community what is best for Winnebago.”

However, after completing the two interviews, the council held a brief discussion. Then, after the score sheets were tallied, Johnson came out as the choice for a new council member.

“I feel like we have a good candidate here,”?Rick Johnson said.

The council made a motion to appoint Dean Johnson and he will be sworn in during the first regular meeting of the year, which will be held on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m.