Stating she doesn’t want scrutiny of her personal life to be a “potential distraction” for the council, Jessica Roberts has withdrawn her appointment to the Lynnwood City Council.

The council on Monday appointed Roberts to the fill the vacant Position 5 council seat. Shortly after, social media posts appeared, criticizing the council’s decision to appoint Roberts in light of sexually explicit content she posted to the internet before her appointment.

On Tuesday, the council announced it would hold a special business meeting to discuss in an executive session whether to rescind Roberts’ appointment, as well as possible next steps for appointing another councilmember. That meeting “will go on as planned,” City of Lynnwood Communications and Public Affairs Manager Nathan MacDonald said.

“My personal life and identity does not in any way affect my ability to do the job,” Roberts said Thursday in a statement emailed to Lynnwood Today. “However I have decided to withdraw my appointment not because I’m unwilling to serve the people of my community, but because the continued scrutiny of my personal life is a potential distraction from the council’s forward progress.”

Roberts was the second person appointed to this vacancy. In February, the council voted to appoint Rebecca Thornton to the position, but she stepped down only an hour before she was set to take an oath of office.

Former Councilmember Julieta Altamirano-Crosby resigned from the seat on Jan. 6. According to state law, the council must fill the vacancy within 90 days after it becomes vacant. This means the council has until April 5 to fill the vacancy.