The eastern side of Astoria has a new representative.
On Monday, the Astoria City Council unanimously appointed Joshua Conklin to take over the Ward 4 seat, which became vacant on Nov.1 following the resignation of former City Councilor Vance Lump.
Lump announced in early October that he was resigning because he had to move from the area. He said he could not find housing within his means in Ward 4.
Now Conklin will serve out the remainder of Lump’s four-year term, which expires at the end of 2028.
The Astoria City Council opted to appoint Lump’s replacement rather than hold a special election, hoping to get someone in the seat sooner rather than later. A total of five people applied for the position.
On Monday, city councilors interviewed Conklin and the other applicants during a public meeting. The councilors listened to public comments from attendees and then used a “score then automatic runoff” (or STAR) voting system to narrow the field to the top two candidates.
Conklin tied in overall votes with retired Costco executive Mike Brosius, but received the most “top votes” from a majority of the City Council.
Fitzpatrick had ranked Conklin lower when he voted; his top picks were Brosius and Lisa Morley, who run unsuccessfully for a City Council position in 2020 and 2024. Fitzpatrick said he based his votes on the amount of feedback received from Ward 4 residents for each candidate.
Councilor Andy Davis made a motion to appoint Conklin and the rest of the City Council also ultimately voted in favor of Conklin. Lump did not participate in Monday’s interviews or the vote.
Conklin works as an inventory auditor for Costco Wholesale and is a familiar face, performing at variety shows in Astoria. He ran, unsuccessfully, for the Astoria City Council in 2020.
During the public interview with city councilors, Conklin said, if appointed, he hopes to hold monthly town hall meetings again and use social media to help keep people informed about what city leaders are working on.
“Sometimes in corporate world, they like to say everybody is replaceable,” Conklin told city councilors. “Within small communities like Astoria that is far from the truth. I think the thing that I can bring to the table is really continuously motivating others, really elevating others.”
“People know me as very caring and very empathetic and very encouraging,” he added, “and that is the thing I will bring to the Council every day.”
On social media, Lump endorsed Conklin as the person he preferred to replace him.
In 2024, Lump ran on a campaign focused almost exclusively on housing issues in Astoria, specifically the need he saw for more lower-income and workforce-priced housing options. During Lump’s brief time at City Hall, that remained a priority — and sometimes a source of controversy for people like Morley who argued that Lump came to the post with an agenda .
Conklin has also identified housing as an issue. In a Facebook post after a town hall in November that gave people a chance to meet applicants for the open Ward 4 seat, Conklin wrote that housing demand has outpaced housing supply.
“We must have balanced, innovative solutions,” he wrote and then asked a series of questions, including: “Can we incentivize homeowners who could convert single-family homes into multi-family long-term rentals? Can we streamline the permitting process so projects move faster and cost less?”
Conklin was sworn in immediately following Monday’s vote.