Whittier : Retired Teacher Named to Vacant Council Seat
The City Council has appointed Janet Henke, a retired teacher and former school board member, to a vacant seat on the five-member council.
Henke, 59, will fill the position given up by Councilman-elect Larry Haendiges, who admitted filing false police reports during the election campaign.
The council passed over former Mayor Lee Strong, who has criticized the philosophical positions of current council members. Strong finished just out of the running in the recent council election and was endorsed by civic leaders, who said the council needed more diversity of opinion.
Henke has not been visibly associated with either the council or its opponents. The current council has been praised and criticized for an agenda that includes improving development standards and preserving hillsides and historic buildings.
Henke was among nine finalists out of 44 applicants for the seat. She served as trustee for the Whittier City School District from 1973 to 1989 and worked as a substitute teacher and job training specialist in the Montebello Unified School District.
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