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The Jefferson City Council will choose between Susan Cook and Hal Dulle to fill the vacant Ward 3 council seat.

Ward 1 Councilman Randy Hoselton nominated Dulle and Ward 3 Councilwoman Treaka Young nominated Cook during Monday's council meeting.

Former Ward 3 Councilman Derek Thomas resigned in June, creating a vacancy on the council. The remaining nine council members will appoint someone to serve through April 2027, the next municipal election.

The council will hold a public forum with the nominees Aug. 3 before voting on the appointment Aug. 17. Both Cook and Dulle said they plan to attend the forum.

Under city code, a nominee must receive at least five votes from the remaining council members to be appointed.

Cook has served as executive director of River City Habitat for Humanity since 2016. She also founded the Capital City Housing Task Force, served two years as vice chair of the mayor's Task Force on Homelessness and serves on the housing subcommittee of the local NAACP chapter.

In her letter of interest, Cook wrote her leadership experience at Habitat for Humanity has prepared her to represent Ward 3 on the council.

"Ward 3 residents deserve a representative who listens carefully, prepares thoroughly, and approaches issues with both common sense and genuine humility. I would come to this role not with the belief that I have all the answers, but with the experience, the relationships, and the commitment to do the work well," Cook wrote.

Dulle is a retired Vietnam veteran and former executive director of the Missouri Veterans Commission. He received the city's Kevin Meinhardt Memorial Award for Distinguished Public Service in 2018 and the Salute to America Impact Award earlier this month. He also serves on the city committee that coordinates visits with the crew of the USS Jefferson City submarine in Hawaii.

Rather than submitting a traditional statement of interest, Dulle attached the nomination letter that helped earn him the Kevin Meinhardt award. In it, Marti Thruston wrote Dulle has consistently improved the lives of Jefferson City residents through decades of public service.

"Mr. Dulle typifies the highest ideals of citizenship by getting involved and passionately working to improve the lives of people, particularly veterans," Thruston wrote. "Although Mr. Dulle is not reluctant to share his views on an issue, he does so respectfully and understands that there may be another perspective regarding the subject."