NORFOLK, Neb. -- The Norfolk City Council held a special meeting Wednesday night to fill the vacancy in Ward 2. Three candidates ran, but one came out on top.

The three candidates stem from different parts of the Norfolk community. Up first for the final round of interviews was Dr. Mark Davis. An OB/GYN, Davis has been serving the community for over 34 years. 

Up next was Soshia Bohn. Bohn is a Mental Health Practitioner in Norfolk, who had the support of many citizens rallying behind her at Wednesday's meeting. 

“I think it takes a lot,” Bohn said. “It takes a lot of patience, drive, passion and dedication.”

Lastly was Jim Lange. Lange served previously on the council and city planning for the last 20 years. After deciding to not run again in 2020, he has since returned to claim his old post.

“I’ve always felt the tug to do more for the city,” Lange said. “You know, you do what you can and you give back to your community for as long as you can.”

Ultimately, after a brief recess, Mayor Shane Claussen made the nomination to appoint Lange to Ward 2. The council voted five "yes's” with one “no” after the nomination, making Lange the next person to take over Ward 2. 

“A big element is trying to restore the civility and trust in the city council that way, so it just appears to be struggling,” Lange said. 

“I feel like right now our cities, we've had a little bit of a divide within our community, and I feel like Jim will help bridge that divide,” Claussen said. “I also feel that he's with his experience in the past. It'll help our council with some decisions moving forward."

Lange will now take over for Ward 2, a spot that was once filled by Claussen. With years of experience, Lange is confident to take over the role. 

“I always felt the tug to do more for the city,” Lange said. “You know, you do what you can and you give back to your community for as long as you can.”

While the process ran smoothly, some uptick from a Norfolk citizen highlighted the process of which the interviews were conducted. Applicant and former mayor candidate Jim Mckenzie highlighted that candidates were only interviewed by three people, as where the city ordinance states, the interviews should be conducted by the entire council. 

“We only had three people that interviewed us, not not the full council, so we didn't even follow our own city ordinances,” Mckenzie said. “It's not sour apples. It's, when do we start to follow our own process?” 

When asked to comment on the matter, Claussen said for the short amount of time, they had to operate as quickly as possible. 

“The process itself isn't perfect, I haven't been a fan of it,” Claussen said. “From my last council meeting, I tried to get it so we could extend it out a few more days from 15 to 30, follow state bylaws, and we did get that passed. So it really kind of ‘hamstringed’ you on how fast you have to do and how quickly you need to get interviews done and conducted.”

Lange will be sworn in on Monday as he will get things kick-started in just a few days.