The Vashon Island Fire and Rescue (VIFR) board of commissioners elected an interim commissioner Tuesday night to fill position four, which was vacated by Gayle Sommers when she resigned last month.

The board elected volunteer captain Candy McCollough in a 3-0 vote. McCullough, who is a fire investigator for Boeing, has been a volunteer firefighter and EMT on Vashon for more than 25 years and recently reinvigorated the department’s Explorer program.

Board chair Rex Stratton abstained from voting Tuesday night, saying he didn’t think the position should be filled so close to an election.

McCullough will serve the remainder of Sommer’s term, which expires at the end of this year. She has already filed to run for the same position on the board this fall, as has Joe Ulatoski, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general and key player in VashonBePrepared.

Ron Turner, who currently holds position one on the board, has opted to seek another term. Deborah Brown, a 15-year volunteer who has served on other public commissions, has filed to run against him.

The deadline to file is this Friday. For more information, visit the King County election department’s website at www.kingcounty.gov/election.