Six people applied to become Bonney Lake’s next mayor. City Council chose this insider
Bonney Lake has a new mayor.
The Bonney Lake City Council appointed former Deputy Mayor Terry Carter on March 19 during a council meeting.
Council members J. Kelly McClimans, Angela Baldwin and Gwendolyn Fullerton voted in favor of the appointment. Council members Kerri Hubler, Dan Roach and Dan Swatman voted against it. Carter voted in favor of himself.
Carter has served on the City Council for six years. He was elected in 2017. He works as a detective sergeant with the Pacific Police Department. He previously worked at the Bonney Lake Police Department.
Carter said during the City Council meeting that he chose to run for council in the first place because city police and staff requested him to do so. As mayor, he said he can do “the most good.”
Carter’s term will expire after results have been certified for the November 2025 general election.
McClimans said during the City Council meeting that having a mayor who is already an elected official is important.
Baldwin said Carter is full of integrity and trustworthiness. She said he has remained neutral in times of controversy and was able to chair a meeting, she said, during which concerns about him surfaced.
At the March 12 City Council meeting, Hubler said she received documents from residents about Carter’s history. She said she was shocked to see public records about his time as a police officer in Bonney Lake and in Pacific. She also wondered if the community knew about it.
Crosscut reported in September 2021 that Pacific police suspended Carter earlier that year for failing to properly report child abuse allegations promptly. He was also “pushed out” of Bonney Lake police in 2013 for policy violations, according to the Crosscut article.
Carter said during the March 12 meeting that he has made mistakes. He also said that he is open to speaking with people and has been “very public” about what happened.
The council discussed different ways to fill the mayoral seat for more than an hour at the March 12 meeting, The News Tribune previously reported. Council members ultimately voted 5-1 to let residents apply to become mayor.
The city posted the application March 13. Applicants had a 5 p.m. March 18 deadline. The city received six applications.
Former Bonney Lake Mayor Michael McCullough announced his resignation during the March 5 City Council workshop due to a job he accepted with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, The News Tribune reported March 11.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the council members who voted for and against Bonney Lake Mayor Terry Carter’s appointment.
This story was originally published March 20, 2024 at 12:13 PM.
