Bend city councilors already are thinking about how they’ll fill a vacancy on that body come January. They’ve got plans for application forms, letters of interest and interviews of those they believe are the top five candidates.

That’s all well and good, but there’s another way to approach the matter that makes more sense.

Councilors should seriously consider asking one of the two people who came in second in their races for the council earlier this month to fill the vacancy.

Sarah McCormick ran against Barb Campbell, who beat her by a bit over 2,000 votes. Andrew Davis ran for the empty seat that will be filled by Gena Goodman-Campbell in January. The outcome in that contest was not close, but Davis did receive about 12,000 votes for the position.

Both Davis and McCormick have things that should give them an edge when it comes to filling the vacancy. They have already demonstrated they want to serve the city and have spent considerable time paying attention to its workings as candidates. They’ve made themselves known to city residents in ways no other appointee can have done: knocking on doors, appearing at public gatherings, and the like.

What they may not share with some council members is a lockstep view of what’s best for Bend, and that, too, is a plus. While it’s nice to have three women on the council at one time, it’s far more important to have divergent views among council members. Either Davis or McCormick could be expected to supply that diversity of viewpoint.

While current councilors no doubt feel they can be fair no matter what selection process they use, human nature being what it is, they’re likely to pick someone they believe they can work well with. That’s not what the job of a council member is, however. He or she, whether elected or appointed, is there to represent the citizens of Bend in all their diversity. The more voices, then, the merrier.