Nine residents are seeking the city council seat that will be open next year.

Bill Criley, who ran for council as an independent in the Nov. 6 election, along with Tom Graham, Bill May, Pat McIntyre, Nick Landon, Gregg Reesman, Amy Keys, Phillip Neyman and Corey Roche have submitted letters to the city saying they want to be picked for the soon-to-be-vacant seat.

The deadline for those letters was Friday.

Graham, May, McIntyre, Landon, Reesman and Neyman are Republicans, while Keys and Roche are Democrats.

GOP Councilwoman Lisa Guard announced Nov. 21 she will resign at the end of the year to move to Erie. The city will have 30 days from her resignation to appoint a new member to finish the remaining two years on her four-year term.

Council will interview each of the candidates and vote to pick one. City solicitor James Coulter said discussion about the candidates would be public.

City Clerk Mindy Gall said council cannot vote on the candidates until after Guard’s official resignation at the end of the year, meaning mayor-elect Tom Donaldson will have one of the four votes. Guard will not have a vote.

The annual salary for a council member is $2,500.

Criley, 61, who campaigned for a council seat in 2011 and 2013, said he is happy nine people have applied.

“It’s good to know there are people that have interest to seek the appointment,” he said.

Criley said he would be a good fit to fill the seat.

“I’m very tight fisted when it comes to spending money,” he said. “I cut my own hair. I think I’d bring a lot of fiscal responsibility to council.”

Criley said one of the biggest changes he would like to see is with council’s relationship with the city authorities.

“I’d like to push for the authorities to be more open,” he said. “I think council has a habit of sitting back and going with the rosy picture everyone paints instead of pressing for figures.”

Graham, 42, said he wants to see the city continue the redevelopment efforts downtown.

“I live and work in the city so I have a vested interest in it,” he said.

Graham, who owns the Frames and Pixels studio on West North Street, is the chairman of Butler Downtown’s economic restructuring committee.

Graham said he is in favor of the redevelopment projects downtown, including the Centre City project that includes a Marriott Springhill Suites hotel, a new Rite Aid pharmacy and a 225-lot parking garage downtown.

“The city needs to be more competitive in encouraging business development downtown,” he said. “But I think we’re on the right track.”

May, 54, said neighborhoods should be a top priority for council.

“I am a fourth generation city resident,” he said. “I wish to help in the revitalization of the city neighborhoods and business district through new ideas and to create a vision for our town.”

May, who helped create the city’s preservation awards and the Downtown Butler Ghost Walk, said he wants to see the city be better marketed as a great place to raise a family.

“We need to work to change the zoning in the city neighborhoods to promote single family homeownership and to stop the tide of HUD landlords who do not take pride in their properties,” he said.

Landon, 29, who works at Family Pathways on Brugh Avenue, said he wants to better represent young adults.

“I work with people and have friends my age that have came to Butler to raise a family,” he said. “I want to represent my demographic and give a voice to that group of people.”

Landon said he also would like to see a growing relationship between the police and the public with more community involvement.

McIntyre, 31, said he was excited to see the seat open.

“I’ve always been interested in the city and felt it was my civic responsibility to apply,” he said.

McIntyre said he would be a good choice to lead the parks department.

“It’s something that is very important,” he said of the department. “I think Butler has always tried to keep the public parks up to standard to give kids a place to go.”

Reesman, 49, also said he would like to help serve the parks department if he were appointed by the city.

“I have a passion for the city parks,” he said. “It’s absolutely a great challenge and honor.”

Reesman, who has lived in the city for nearly two decades, said he has experience working with groups, including at the library, churches and food banks.

He said bettering the parks would help the redevelopment efforts.

“I think I can bring new and fresh ideas for tourism and help local businesses in the city,” he said.

Keys, 43, said she would like to see the city focus more on improving its neighborhoods.

“We’ve become so focused on Main Street, but it’s the neighborhoods that are the heart of the city,” Keys said.

Keys said she has lived in the city her entire adult life and would like to be proactive in helping it become more appealing to young families.

“I don’t see younger people moving into the city,” she said. “And the city has a lot to offer; we just need to focus on it.”

Neyman, 30, said he has lived in the city all his life and wants to see it continue to grow.

He said he wants to see more pride placed in the neighborhoods.

“I’d like to help bring the community back to Butler,” he said, adding too many younger families are moving outside the city.

Neyman said he is interested in heading the parks department to help bring back that sense of community. He said he would want to work with residents to accomplish his goals.

“I’ve always been for smaller government, so I’d be interested to hear what the people want done,” he said.

Roche, 32, is the director of ticketing for Live Nation Entertainment. He said his background in facility management would be valuable to council.

“It’s a natural fit to oversee the city’s parks and recreation office,” he said.

Roche said he sees the open seat as a great opportunity to get involved to help residents. He said one of his main goals would be to help increase the city’s quality of life.

“I definitely agree with mayor-elect Donaldson that there has to be reinvestment in the neighborhoods,” he said.