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Karen Bergman returns to City Council to fill out seven months until the next election.
In a unanimous vote at a special meeting on Tuesday, City Council appointed Karen Bergman to serve on council until the May 2016 election.
The appointment marks a return to council for Bergman, who represented the Second Ward in a single term from 2008 to 2012.
Bergman fills a seat left vacant when Council Vice President Mike Allegretto resigned Sept. 14 to take a job as the city's director of Community Services.
"I'm beyond excited to be back on this side of the table," Bergman said after she was sworn in and completed her first meeting.
She said she's looking forward to working with citizens and voting in their interest.
Bergman, 54, is the catering director at the historic Flanders Hotel in Ocean City. She served in the same role at the Grand Hotel in Cape May and was the long-time owner of Nash's News on Asbury Avenue in Ocean City.
Candidates will run in May 2016 to fill out the final two years of Allegretto's four-year term.
Bergman said she didn't know if she would run in May.
"We'll see how this goes," she said.
When Allegretto resigned, council had two options: to leave the seat vacant until the May election or to make an appointment within 30 days.
It appeared that council was ready to leave the seat vacant until three council members — Antwan McClellan, Mike DeVlieger and Tony Wilson — requested the special meeting to consider candidates.
At the meeting on Tuesday, council went into a closed session and one-by-one called in four candidates to answer the same two questions: "Why are you interested in the position?" and "Why do you feel you're qualified?"
The other candidates were:
