By John Dobberstein, Editor
COWETA — Coweta City Councilman Joshua Wilburn, who represented Ward 3, has resigned after serving less than a year of his appointed term.
The resignation comes just days after a raucous City Council meeting where numerous residents demanded City Manager Julie Casteen to resign over the city’s handling of a data center proposal and personal statements she made earlier this year in text messages about opponents of the project — which she has since apologized for.
The city of Coweta did not mention a reason for Wilburn resigning. The Sentinel reached out to Wilburn for comment but did not receive a response.
The city said it will begin accepting applications to fill the vacant seat. Under Oklahoma law, the council will appoint a “qualified applicant” to serve until the next general municipal election, at which time the remainder of the unexpired term will be filled via an election. Applicants must meet the legal qualifications required for the office.
Those interested in applying should go to https://www.cityofcoweta-ok.gov/312/Join-a-Board-or-Commission. The city siad it would be posting updates about the process on its Facebook page.
Wilburn, a systems analyst for UDT, was appointed to the City Council 10 months ago on a 3-2 vote to fill a vacancy when Shorty Chance opted not to run for re-election. Wilburn’s appointment was backed by City Council members Harold Chance, Naomi Hogue and Lauren Givan, but Caroline Martin and Jeremy Barnett voted against it. Martin also resigned from the City Council last year.
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