SEQUIM — School Board members appointed Walter Johnson to the vacant District 5 seat Monday night, placing him in the office he unsuccessfully sought at the ballot box in 2002.
In that race, he was soundly defeated by former Suzi Schmidt, who resigned her board post at the beginning of June.
Johnson had an easier competition this time around — the only other person to apply for the post withdrew his name Monday, and board members deliberated for about five minutes before voting to appoint the veteran school trustee from Michigan.
“We need to thank him for his interest in serving the district before and his continued interest. It’s a big commitment,” said Sequim School District board member Sarah Bedinger.
“I look forward to working with him.”
Johnson is a retired engineer who moved to Sequim 2½ years ago from Southfield, Mich., where he sat on the Southfield Board of Education from 1974 to 1999.
He retired from the Ford Motor Co. in 1995. He had been a manger there working on developing and supporting the company’s automotive design system.