RATHDRUM — Rathdrum's newest city council member is a familiar face.

And he also knows the city's roads well.

Darrell Rickard, the transportation supervisor for the Lakeland Joint School District who has served on the city's Planning and Zoning Commission for the past six years, has been named to the council to replace Mark Worthen.

"I thought about running for council six years ago, but changed my mind," Rickard said. "I believe people who run for council should have experience, so I decided to serve on Planning and Zoning first.

"I planned on running for council anyway, so the opportunity just came up sooner."

Worthen, who served on the council for 18 years, resigned from the position effective Aug. 31 so that he can start receiving retirement benefits after retiring as a teacher from the Lakeland Joint School District.

Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) rules state that members must resign at least 90 days from organizations that use the system in order to start receiving benefits from another PERSI employer. Both the city council and school district are PERSI employers.

Rickard said he'll likely run for council when his ends next year.

"I've always been interested in the well-being of the city," said Rickard, who has been a Rathdrum resident for 22 years. "Since the city continues to grow, I want to be involved to make sure that we do it responsibly."

Rickard has also served on the Traffic Safety Committee, the Rathdrum Rural Fire District, Post Falls Ambulance (in Rathdrum), Lions Club, Relay for Life and chamber of commerce.

"Darrell is really aware of the road needs, which is a big part of the city budget," Rathdrum Mayor Vic Holmes said. "He's community-minded and he has experience."

Four people applied for the council position.

• Meanwhile, Sherry Tevis has been appointed to the cemetery board to replace Tammy Rickard, who left the board to serve on the Parks and Recreation Commission in March.

"I thought it would be a good way to become more involved in the community," Tevis wrote on her application.