CHAMPAIGN – City council members this week will discuss how to fill District 5 representative Dave Johnson's seat, which he will give up following Tuesday night's council meeting.

The discussion will follow the regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. in the Champaign City Building, 102 N. Neil St.

City staff and council members will pore over the details to get the application process rolling. Council members have 60 days following the resignation in which to appoint a replacement.

The person selected, who must be a resident of southwest Champaign's fifth district, would serve until the regular election in 2011.

Voters would then select a candidate to complete Johnson's four-year term, scheduled to end in 2013.

At least one potential applicant has expressed interest, though he has not yet committed himself to applying.

Gordy Hulten, director of sales and marketing for the Devonshire Group in Champaign, made his interest public last week on his conservative blog, Illini Pundit.

"When I found out that Dave Johnson was resigning, I had an immediate interest because I've been so involved with city government over the past five or six years," Hulten said.

Mayor Jerry Schweighart, Hulten and Johnson all said on Friday they had not yet heard of anyone else interested in the vacant seat.

"He's been involved in a lot of the community activities and very knowledgeable on all the community issues, so he'd be up to speed," Schweighart said.

Hulten said he will not apply until he knows more about the application process.

Hulten has been active in Republican campaigns for the past "15 years or more," most recently for state Sen. Kirk Dillard's waning bid for governor.

He said that, were he to be appointed to the council, the future of his blog intended to monitor and comment on local issues would be uncertain.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to any council members about (the blog). I don't know how they would feel about it," Hulten said.