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A divided Medford City Council selected local lawyer Eric Stark on Thursday night as councilor for Ward 4, a position formerly held by Kim Wallan. “I’m honored by their confidence in me,” the 52-year-old Stark said. The council cast four votes for Stark and three for Jessica Gomez, who ran an unsuccessful bid for the state Senate District 3 seat. Ward 4 is located in southeast Medford. Gomez was actually the preferred candidate of a five-member Ward 4 committee chosen by the council to help with the selection process among the seven candidates. The others were Michael Campbell, Dylan Moncus, Kevin Keating, Richard Bradshaw and Michelle Blum Atkinson. Richard Whitlock, who was on the citizen committee, said Gomez was chosen because of her business background and her familiarity with the legislative process in Salem, having worked for former Sen. Alan DeBoer. “She has more experience than most of the candidates,” Whitlock said. Stark and Campbell came in second and third for the committee, Whitlock said. The candidates made their pitch to the council and the committee a week ago. Stark has been a lawyer in Medford since 1992 and has served on various local boards and committees during that time, including the Medford Planning Commission and Medford Urban Renewal Agency Board. He is scheduled to be sworn in at the Feb. 7 council meeting. “I’m ready to jump right in,” Stark said. He said he has a pretty open mind and doesn’t come with a particular agenda. Like many other councilors, Stark said he’s concerned about affordable housing as well as homeless and mental health issues affecting local residents. When Stark appeared before the council last week, he suggested the city adopt different zoning rules and streamline the planning process to encourage more development of affordable housing. He’s also an advocate for an indoor pool facility that could eventually replace aging Jackson Pool in west Medford. The city also had a pool in Hawthorne Park that was closed in 2010 because of a sizable leak and then demolished. “I do feel Medford has an incredible need for a swimming pool,” Stark said. Public safety and crime were other priority issues for Stark. “We have a lot of officers, but they’re very busy,” he told the council last week. “There’s a lot of drug problems.” Stark suggested building a better jail and emphasizing more rehabilitation efforts. Last year, the selection process turned contentious when Wallan didn’t immediately offer her letter of resignation after winning the House District 6 race in November. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm.