MOSES LAKE — For the first time in Moses Lake’s long history, the city has a female mayor.

Brought on by the resignation of former Mayor Todd Voth over the weekend, City Manager John Williams explained to the council during Tuesday night’s council meeting that per council rules, the Deputy Mayor, Karen Liebrecht, will serve as mayor during a continued absence of the appointed mayor, Voth. Both the mayor and deputy mayor positions are voted on by the council every two years.

“In this particular case with the vacancy then the deputy mayor will act in the position of mayor for the remainder of the term, which would be through Dec. 31 of this year,” Williams told the council.

Voth, who held Position No. 4 on the council, resigned on Sunday citing personal attacks that had been lodged against himself, his family and personal property. The council decided to not make an appointment to the vacant position until after the Nov. 7 general election.

The decision is in-tune with a previous decision by council with regard to former councilmember Bill Ecret’s Position No. 1 seat. Ecret resigned from the council in July following a move outside of city limits. The council initially voted to accept resumes and letters of interest from residents who wanted to fill the seat until Dec. 31, but later decided to keep the position open.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.