CARY COUNCIL CHOOSES PORTMAN TO FILL VACANT SEAT

CARY , NC – At its regular meeting tonight, the Cary Town Council appointed Erv Portman to fill the unexpired At Large Council seat vacated in July 2006 by Michael Joyce.  Portman’s selection came about this evening when, at the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Jack Smith asked that the meeting agenda be amended to enable the item to be discussed under Old/New Business.

Erv Portman, 51, of Fern Bluff Way has been a Cary resident since 1992. He relocated to Cary to serve as vice-president for a division of Bristol-Myers Squibb. Four years after relocating to Cary , Portman founded Weststar, a contract manufacturing company specializing in rapid development and manufacture of precision devices for customers throughout the world. Over the years, Portman has held several Council appointments including the Town’s Planning and Zoning Board, Town Center Review Commission, and the Mayor’s Task Force on School Assignment. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh .         

Portman was one of 37 Cary citizens who submitted Statements of Interest and Qualifications to the Council July 25- August 25, 2006 for the seventh Council slot. During a work session on September 12, the Council narrowed the list from 37 to 10 to five candidates. Then on September 26, the Council further narrowed the field to two finalists: Dick Domann and Erv Portman—with the remaining six-member Council vote split among the two candidates, three to three , until tonight.

Before Portman can officially assume his new role, he must take the oath of office, which will take place at an upcoming Council meeting.

Learn more about Erv Portman at www.townofcary.org.

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