North Liberty City Council faced with another departure

NORTH LIBERTY - Barely a month removed from filling one vacancy, the North Liberty City Council will soon be faced with filling another open seat.

In an April 17 letter to Mayor Terry Donahue and City Administrator Ryan Heiar, City Council member Jennifer Goings announced she is resigning from the council on May 16. In the letter, Goings cites her recent engagement to a man who lives with his children in another community as the reason for her departure.

'After much discussion, we feel at this point in time it is in the best interest of our family to establish our home together in the community where the children go to school and are established in activities,” Goings said in the letter. 'Although we both love the North Liberty community, we feel this is the best decision for our family at this time.”

Goings, 35, was not up for re-election until 2021. On March 12, North Liberty held a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of former council member Jim Sayre, who moved to Arizona. RaQuishia Harrington won the special election, beating five other candidates.

North Liberty council members voted 3-2 in January to hold a special election - estimated to cost $2,000 to $3,000 - instead of appointing a new member. The council is expected to discuss plans to fill Goings' seat during its May 14 meeting.

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