Dr. Trent Davis will soon have a seat on the Salina City Commission.

During Monday’s meeting, commissioners decided to appoint Davis to fill the spot of commissioner Barb Shirley, who resigned last week. 

Shirley had agreed to stay on until a new commissioner was selected.

Davis was selected from a group of five people who expressed interest in the position. The others included Alan Jilka, Abner Perney, Kristin Gunn, and Joe Hay.

Shirley tells KSAL News that Davis is a “fantastic appointment”. She added “I’ve been urging him for years to run for office”.

Shirley’s last day will be August 25th. Davis will be sworn in on September 8th, the Monday after Labor Day. 

When she resigned, Shirley cited time concerns, saying that she could not fully commit the time needed as a commissioner. “The City Commission deserves a member who can fully commit to its time demands” she said.

Shirley was first elected in 2011, and served as Salina’s mayor in 2013. During her time as mayor Shirley was a big proponent of equal rights, and joined a national group of mayors who support gay marriage. She became the first Kansas Mayor to join more than 350 other mayors across the country to join Mayors for Freedom to Marry.

When the city commission did its routine reorganization in January, and Shirley’s term as mayor ended, she said it was a tough year personally for her. “I had two job changes, I lost my son, and my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer” she said. Since then her father has passed away.