Seven seek seat on Punta Gorda City Council; The council meets at 2 p.m. today to fill the seat left vacant by the Aug. 18 death of Bill Richards.(A SECTION)

Byline: Matthew Henry STAFF WRITER;

With the number of people seeking appointment to a single Punta Gorda City Council seat at seven, City Clerk Sue Selner had a quick response when she was asked Monday morning: Can the noon deadline for applicants be extended?

The answer was no.

Robert Kroeger, who was among those to apply Monday, said he's not surprised by the interest in the council seat.

"Anytime you have a seat open for appointment instead of for an election, you're going to have more applicants," he said.

The council meets at 2 p.m. today to fill the seat left vacant by the Aug. 18 death of Bill Richards, 78, who died from complications of injuries he suffered in a fall.

Kroeger, a recent appointee to the Punta Gorda Housing Authority, said that appointment is a fairly painless route to public office. Applicants don't have to commit to the time, money and stresses of an election campaign, he said. They merely have to attend today's …