Former Governor Barbara Roberts was appointed to a seat on the Metro Council this afternoon by a 5-1 vote. That lone vote was Tom Hughes was in favor of Bob Shiprack, but after the ballots were cast, the Council passed a motion to make the vote unanimous. So in the official record, it's a clean sweep for Governor Barb.

The governor is replacing Robert Liberty until 2012, when she's promised to step down and let someone else run for the open seat. If you'll recall, the big drama last week was that Metro Councilors reportedly asked Gov. Roberts to apply for the seat, because they were certain there would not be majority support for any of the other contenders, including the man Tom Hughes narrowly beat out for the Metro presidency, Bob Stacey. Roberts tenure as governor was marked by environmental stewardship, so I expect she'll bring a smart growth voice to the council that sets regional land use rules.