Champaign's nine-member city council is back to full strength.

Opting not to put their collective thumb on the electoral scale, Champaign City Council members Tuesday made their choice to fill a vacant seat in District 5.

But Linda Cross is no routine fill-in. She served 20 years on the county board and another 16 years as the township supervisor in the City of Champaign Township. So while her stint on the council will last less than three months, Cross said she's generally familiar with the issues and knows where to go if she needs additional information.

"I think there is a very able staff there," she said. "That makes the job a lot easier."

Cross's appointment makes her the latest in an unfortunate series of short-term representatives for District 5.

Former council member Dave Johnson created the first vacancy when he resigned his seat to accommodate a new job and a move to Cleveland, Ohio. Gordy Hulten filled in capably and was preparing to run unopposed for election when he was chosen to fill the county clerk's post vacated by Mark Shelden.

Now Cross is the district's representative, but only until the April election when one of three competing candidates – Paul Faraci, Cathy Emanuel or Jim McGuire – will be elected.

Frankly, any way council members had chosen to fill the post would have been acceptable. But fearing that appointing one of the candidates seeking election would give that candidate a political advantage, they sought to take an above-the-fray approach. Fortunately, they had a candidate in Cross who can hit the ground running..

Council Member Marci Dodds was critical of that approach. She asserted that Cross's appointment reflected a lack of accountability to the voters, but that's a stretch.

Cross will hold office only until May, when the winner of the April 5 election is sworn in. Given the circumstances at play here and Cross' background both as a candidate and officeholder, the appointment process turned out about as well as anyone could reasonably expect.