Although it’s the start of a new calendar year, for the Mountlake Terrace City Council it was a continuation of the old as councilmembers who had won re-election to their posts were sworn in and all the members expressed their desire to continue in their current roles.
The first council meeting of the year on Monday, Jan. 6, began with Mountlake Terrace City Attorney Greg Schrag administering oaths of office to council members Jerry Smith, Rick Ryan, Doug McCardle and Kyoko Matsumoto. Councilmember Bryan Wahl was absent for the meeting and will be sworn into office at a later date.
The first action of the council was to elect Smith as Mayor, a council position he has held 2004; Smith will serve as mayor through 2015. Councilmember Laura Sonmore was re-elected to the position of Mayor Pro Tem.
The councilmembers also agreed to continue serving this year on the same intergovernmental boards and committees that they had been serving on at the end of 2013.
— Story and photo by Doug Petrowski
A complete farce. The Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem actually nominate and “elect” each other. A responsible, informed citizen seated nearby enlightened me to the fact that these two offices are unpaid and largely ceremonial. Still, Ms. Sonmore has once again maneuvered herself into a position whereby she is able to shape policy and exert untoward influence on the future of our city.