Government

Former longtime councilman Malich running as write-in candidate for mayor

Former City Council member Ken Malich announced Thursday that he is running as a write-in candidate for mayor of Gig Harbor.

Malich served for four terms before retiring from the Council in 2020. In 2018, he also served as mayor pro tem. He was replaced on the Council in 2020 by Robyn Denson.

Malich’s professional experience includes 30 years as an engineer and mechanic and 20 years as a commercial fisherman. He’s a lifelong Gig Harbor resident and a graduate of Peninsula High School. Before his election to the City Council, Malich served on the city’s parks commission.

As a Council member, he led the effort to purchase the property that is now Ancich Waterfront Park and, at his own expense, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the transfer of the lighthouse and sandspit property at the mouth of the harbor, to Gig Harbor ownership.

Malich is running against Tracie Markley, who has been on the City Council for two years. Before Malich’s announcement, Markley was running unopposed, after former mayoral candidate John Skansi withdrew and filed to run for a City Council seat.