Camas City Council Unanimously Appoints Burton as Interim Mayor

Camas, WA — Members of the Camas City Council decided unanimously to appoint Ellen Burton as the Interim Mayor of Camas.  Burton will serve in this role until the general elections in November. The City attorney will swear-in Burton at the council’s regular meeting at 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 2. 

Burton, formerly serving as Camas’ Mayor Pro Tem, was one of two candidates that applied for the Mayoral position, Camas resident Jack Derington was the other. Both applicants were interviewed live during a special public meeting that allowed both in-person and virtual viewing.  This was the first opportunity for the public to attend a council meeting in-person since the COVID pandemic restricted open public meetings to remote-only.  

Each applicant was asked the same seven questions and was provided three minutes each to respond. Following the interviews, Council Members recessed to an Executive Session for discussion, after which they voted publicly, resulting in the decision to retain Burton in the role.

“I appreciate Mr. Derington for throwing his hat in the ring, he is a certainly a qualified individual and I certainly hope he volunteers in the community” Burton said.  “I’m also excited that I was selected to fulfill this position.”

Burton is no stranger to the City and has represented Ward 3 as a Camas City Council Member since 2019. Burton retired from a career in global technology and has been actively volunteering in the Camas community for almost 25 years.