Granite Shoals councilor Shirley Martin dies
Granite Shoals Place 5 Councilor Shirley Martin died Feb. 24. File photo
Granite Shoals City Council member Shirley Martin died Feb. 24. The 72-year-old Granite Shoals resident was elected in November to fill the Place 5 spot through this May. She was not seeking re-election.
The City Council is expected to appoint Eddie McCoy to the Place 5 seat during its regular meeting Tuesday, March 9, and complete the term. McCoy is running unopposed for the seat in the May 2021 election. The council canceled the May 1 election during its Feb. 23 meeting since all the races are unopposed.
Though Martin wasn’t on the council for very long, City Manager Jeff Looney said the city feels her loss. He noted that Martin came to meetings prepared, was unafraid to ask questions, and showed a desire to learn.
“I really liked her,” he said. “I thought she was going to make a very good council member. She wasn’t afraid to make decisions, and she asked questions. I appreciated her.”
Martin won the seat in November after beating Libby Edwards. Edwards was appointed in May 2020 to fill the unexpired term of Todd Holland, who resigned because he moved out of the city. Holland’s term expires May 2021.
Looney said city administrators want to honor Martin, and he is open to taking suggestions on how best to do that.