For Frank Tippets, California is the place he wants to be. He’s loading up his truck and moving to Oroville, a small town in northern California near the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Because of his move, Tippets is resigning his position on the Coupeville Town Council effective at the end of June. He and his wife decided on the move to be closer to their children — most of whom live in California.

Tippets was appointed to the Town Council in October 1993 to fill a vacancy. He was re-appointed in January 1994 because he was appointed after the deadline to file for the election and eventually won re-election in 1995.

“My main interest in the council was the basic business of making sure the town ran right,” Tippets said.

Tippets moved to Coupeville in 1990 when he retired after an engineering career with General Electric.

He added that he chose to resign in June because it gives interested people time to file to run in the fall election.

Tippets’ resignation now leaves two vacancies to be filled on the Town Council. Councilman Philip Williamson died from cancer earlier in the month.

The council will appoint the successors to Williamson and Tippets. Interested candidates should inquire at city hall.

Tippets announced his resignation at the end of Tuesday’s council meeting.

During the meeting, the council did not discuss filling Williamson’s vacancy because the timing wasn’t appropriate being only a week after his death, said Mayor Nancy Conard.

She added that she is gathering information about the legal options the town has in filling the vacant positions. The council is going to meet to discuss the vacancies but that meeting has yet to be scheduled.

Conard hopes the appointments will be done as soon as possible.

“The hope is to appoint somebody who would run for re-election,” Conard said. The filing period for office seekers is the last week in July.

Even though the two vacant terms were set to expire in December of 2005, their replacements will have to run for re-election this year and then again in two years.

The loss of the two council people puts the town in a situation where all of the elected positions are up for re-election this year.

“It’s a very unusual situation,” Conard said. She is currently planning on running for the mayor’s office again in the fall.

Three Town Council positions currently held by Donna Keeler, Bob Clay and Marshall Bronson are also up for election this year.

In addition to the loss of Tippets and Williamson, Town Councilwoman Donna Keeler isn’t planning to run again. She said that she wants to spend more time with her family.

You can reach News-Times reporter Nathan Whalen at nwhalen@whidbeynewstimes.com or 675-6611.