Gig Harbor Mayor Tracie Markley resigns. ‘My focus must be on my family’s immediate needs.’
Gig Harbor Mayor Tracie Markley resigned her position Monday, citing “serious health issues” that her family has faced recently, according to a city press release.
“It has become clear that my focus must be on my family’s immediate needs,” Markley wrote in the release. “So, after much prayerful consideration, I have decided it is best to step away at this time.”
Council member Brenda Lykins was selected Jan. 22 to serve as mayor pro tempore by the Gig Harbor City Council. The mayor pro tempore takes on the duties of the mayor in his or her absence.
“The mayor pro tempore remains a voting member of the city council while presiding over council meetings and does not have the authority to appoint or remove city officers and employees, to veto ordinances, to adopt or repeal administrative procedures, or to reorganize the administration of the city,” the release said.
The mayor pro tempore may serve as mayor for a maximum of six months, according to the Revised Code of Washington. Lykins will serve until the City Council appoints a replacement to serve the rest of Markley’s term until the Nov. 4, 2025 election.
“I know that the decision to resign was difficult for Mayor Markley and I have tremendous respect for her service to our community,” Lykins wrote in an email to The News Tribune Monday. “She led with her heart and brought respect and compassion to the city staff.”
Asked to reflect on Markley’s time in office, Lykins wrote that she and the mayor partnered two years ago to create a new Housing, Health, and Human Services program in the city with opioid settlement funds, received as a chunk of the payout from lawsuits filed by the state and federal government against companies accused of fueling the opioid epidemic.
“The Housing, Health, and Human Services program now helps to provide and coordinate essential beneficial services to our city, particularly our most vulnerable residents,” she wrote.
Gig Harbor was allocated $445,000 from the state and $175,000 from the federal settlements and used part of their portion to hire a manager, Shealynn Smiley, for their housing, health and human services program, the Washington State Standard reported. The city’s website says that the program focuses on helping Gig Harbor residents with affordable housing, public health and behavioral health issues including mental health and substance use disorders.
Lykins also wrote that she’s committed to ensuring there are no service disruptions following Markley’s resignation. The city is currently working on the 2024 Comprehensive Plan update and the biennial budget, but she doesn’t anticipate any delays in the legislative process.
Asked what challenges remain for the city as Markley leaves office, Lykins wrote that “the city will continue to face the ongoing challenges of funding essential services and infrastructure balanced with ensuring fiscal responsibility as we strive to provide exceptional city services.”
Markley was elected in 2021 and earned 91 percent of the vote after running unopposed, The News Tribune reported.
The City Council planned to meet Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. to discuss the process to appoint a new mayor, who must meet the same qualifications as elected mayors, according to the release.
Under state law, the mayor must be a registered Gig Harbor voter and must have lived in the city limits for at least one year, according to city clerk Josh Stecker. Qualifications beyond that are at the discretion of the City Council, he said.
Stecker told The News Tribune that there isn’t a set formal process for appointing a new mayor. It could be as simple as the City Council appointing a person they know by a majority vote. The council can also open up applications to the public and recruit someone interested in filling the vacancy.
Lykins wrote to The News Tribune that she won’t be seeking the appointment herself.
Markley told The News Tribune after she was elected in 2021 that she saw herself as a “peacemaker at heart.” Previously a first-term City Council member, she succeeded Kit Kuhn as mayor after some significant staff turnover — almost a third of the city’s approximately 100-strong workforce quit or retired during his term, The News Tribune reported. An employee survey commissioned by the City Council in 2020 also revealed the majority of city employees felt undervalued or disrespected in their workplace under Kuhn’s leadership.
“We have a phenomenal staff, and I’m looking forward to just letting them do what they do, letting them be creative in their jobs and trying new ideas,” Markley told The News Tribune soon after she was elected. “I’m just excited to see what they can do when they are given the freedom to be the professionals that they are.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
News Tribune archives contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information about the mayoral appointment process in Gig Harbor, Markley’s succession of former mayor Kit Kuhn and comments from Mayor Pro Tempore Brenda Lykins.
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 1:33 PM.
