The Carbondale City Council selected a familiar face to fill the vacant seat left by former Mayor Joel Fritzler.

Corene McDaniel was appointed to the council by a unanimous vote at a special session of the city council Tuesday night. She will be sworn in at the March 4 regular meeting of the council.

McDaniel was one of eight applicants and three finalists for the position.

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She previously served on the council from 2001 to 2013 before retiring. Although she was enjoying her retirement, she said she decided to apply for the vacant position because of her experience with the council and dealing with the budget in the past.

“As a councilmember, we are going to have to make some tough decisions,” she said. “They may not be liked, but when you think about what’s best for the city, I think eventually all will understand.”

Acting Mayor Don Monty said the process to fill the seat went smoothly. He said McDaniel as well as the other two candidates, Navreet Kang and Thomas Grant, made the decision difficult for the council.

“It wasn’t one of those things where you walk in the room and say, ‘This person, don’t even bother thinking about this person,’” he said. “That wasn’t the case at all. All three of these (candidates) got very serious consideration.”

Monty said McDaniel’s familiarity with the city budget was not the only factor the council considered, but was a significant variable in the decision.

McDaniel said she had no inclination she was the chosen candidate before or after her interview. Even with her prior experience, she said she was nervous during the entire procedure.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” she said. “I was on pins and needles. I did the best that I could do.”

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McDaniel’s first task after her swearing-in at the March 4 meeting will be to work with the City Council to address the $731,000 budget deficit. McDaniel said her understanding of how city government and the budget work are invaluable to finding a speedy solution.

“I know how to find line items, I know how to look for things and I won’t hesitate to make comments or to go into the mayor’s office or the manager’s office or the finance department and say, ‘What about this, what about that?’” she said.

Besides the budget, McDaniel said she wants to work together with the entire council over the next 14 months to alleviate Carbondale of its problems.

“(My top goal) is working together,” she said. “I can’t do anything by myself. I have to convince three other people it’s a good idea.”

Seth Richardson can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter at @EgyptianRich or at 536-3311 ext. 268.