City Council unanimously appointed Danni Newbury to fill the remaining 15 months of Jennifer Wenson-Maier’s term as 5th Ward representative on the nine-member governing body.

Newbury was sworn in immedlately after a resolution (AR-217-19) was approved by a 8-0 vote (3rd Ward Councilman Bob Bresenhan was absent) to begin tonight’s monthly pre-meeting onference.

A resident of Bryant Street, Newbury was among three people nominated last week by the Rahway Democratic Committee to serve the rest of the term, which runs through 2020. The other two nominees were John Solomon of Elm Avenue and William Cladek of Esterbrook Avenue. State law stipulates that the party that controls the vacant seat must present three nominees to the city clerk.

Wenson-Maier had served City Council since 2004 representing the 5th Ward, which covers much of downtown and west toward St. Georges Avenue. She most recently was re-elected to a four-year term in 2016. The seat will be up again next year and Newbury will seek a full four-year term. Wenson-Maier stepped down Sept. 15 and is expected to become the next executive director of the Housing Authority.

Newbury is coordinator of the Union County Office of LGBTQ Affairs and previously was director of communications of the Union County Performing Arts Center in downtown Rahway. She also serves on the seven-member board of trustees of the Rahway Arts & Business Partnership . It remains unclear whether she can keep that seat as well as serve on council. The RABP oversees the city’s Special Improvement District (SID).

The appointment of Newbury keeps the male-female balance on City Council at 7-2, along with Councilwoman At-large Joanna Miles.

The 5th Ward seat will be up for election next fall when all six ward seats on City Council are up. The filing deadline for the June primary is in March, Independents must file by the primary date, with the General Election in the fall.

All nine seats on City Council and the mayor’s office currently are held by registered Democrats. City Council representatives are consider part-time positions and receive annual stipends of about $8,000.