Dan Jesse stepped down from the Position 4 seat on Gearhart’s City Council.

“I received a phone call from Dan Jesse on Jan. 12,” Mayor Paulina Cockrum said. “Over the phone we discussed his resignation from the City Council. He successfully sold his home and is moving out of the area.”

Jesse is president of Daniel Jesse Construction Inc. and trained as a commercial photographer. He served on the Planning Commission before being elected to the council in 2016.

The council selected Austin Tomlinson, a planning commissioner, to fill the term.

“Austin’s been on the Planning Commission, was an active member of the the parks master plan development, and I thought he did a great job,” Cockrum said.

A Seaside High School graduate, Tomlinson earned a bachelor’s degree in wildland resources with emphasis in soils and watershed management from Humboldt State University. He served on the Planning Commission for four years. Tomlinson is employed by Columbia Land Trust as a natural area manager, overseeing and managing the land trust’s lands within the coast and estuary region for both Oregon and Washington.

“Much of my time is focused on managing forest and estuary restoration projects, as well as maintaining and monitoring the ecological integrity of Columbia Land Trust’s lands,” he said after the meeting.

The appointment to fill the remainder of the Position 4 term was unanimously approved by Cockrum and councilors Reita Fackerell, Brent Warren and Kerry Smith.

Tomlinson thanked the council for the appointment.

“I look forward to working with all you guys on our agenda and filling Dan Jesse’s position,” he said.