One day before the filing deadline, it appeared as if the Langley City Council might turn into something of a boys’ club.

Four men had applied for the two city council positions left empty by the recent resignations of Faith Bushby and Doug Allderdice.

But thanks to a last-minute application, it won’t be an all-male cast when the city council appoints replacements at its meeting tonight.

Marilee Seligson is now seeking a spot on the council. She jumped into the fray after her husband, Hal, withdrew his candidacy from council consideration.

Marilee Seligson said one woman on the council is not enough. Currently, Rene Neff is the only woman on the five-member council.

Seligson is pressing the point in her application.

“I am sure we all agree that equality and diversity are key components of a healthy community,” Seligson wrote in her application letter.

“According to the most recent official Census in 2000, Langley’s population was 56.5 percent female and only 43.5 percent male. There is now only one woman representing the entire population of Langley in a government with three elected men. There are two vacancies on the council: two opportunities to come closer to demographic equality and to increase diversity.”

“I believe that as a qualified woman with a disability, my appointment to the council would be a clear indication of this city’s continuing commitment to truly representative government,” Seligson said.

Seligson has lived in Langley for four years and owned property in the city for 10 years. She is a member of the Design Review Board and active in the community. Seligson also brings government experience from her former career working for the state of New York.

Another woman also filed just before the deadline. Melanie Shafaat is a South Whidbey resident and former special education teacher.

The list of council candidates includes some familiar names.

Paul Samuelson has lived on South Whidbey for 28 years and has served the community in a variety of capacities, including as a member of the executive committee of the comprehensive plan group, the South Whidbey school board and the Whidbey Island Council of the Arts board.

Most recently, he has become a consultant to the Greenbank Farm Management Group. Samuelson also led the campaign to get Langley’s property tax levy raised last year.

Bob Waterman has also applied for the job.

He is the chairman of the transportation committee for the comprehensive plan update and was the co-chairman of the Imagine Langley project.

Waterman is also involved in the South Whidbey Historical Society, among other activities.

Another candidate, Herb Helsel, is a small business owner in Langley.

Helsel runs the Langley Clock & Gallery, and has also served the city on its Planning Advisory Board.

Richard Burdsal moved to Langley in 1997 after retiring from Boeing and is excited about serving the community.

City council members Robert Gilman, Rene Neff and Jim Recupero will interview the applicants tonight at 6:30 p.m. in city hall.

After the interview, the council will go into closed-door executive session to discuss the qualifications of the candidates.

They will then emerge and pick a replacement for Allderdice and swear the new council member in.

Then they will reconvene into an executive session with their newest member and pick the replacement for Bushby.

The appointed new members will serve until the public votes for new council members in 2007.