Community Government

Markley steps down as Gig Harbor mayor

Tracie Markley has resigned as mayor of Gig Harbor, effective immediately, the city announced in a news release Monday.

The announcement included a statement from Markley that said serious family health issues led to the decision. Serving as mayor has been one of the most rewarding and humbling experiences of her life, she stated.

Mayor Tracie Markley

“From interacting day-to-day with my friends and neighbors, to collaborating with members of the city council, to working side-by-side with the phenomenal professionals on our city staff, serving Gig Harbor has been the greatest honor of my life and I am and will always be deeply grateful for the community’s trust,” she said.

“The most important roles in my life are as wife to Josh and mom to our girls. Recently our family has dealt with serious health issues. It has become clear that my focus must be on my family’s immediate needs. So, after much prayerful consideration, I have decided it is best to step away at this time.”

Lykins to temporarily fill role

Councilwoman Brenda Lykins, selected to serve as mayor pro tempore on Jan. 22, 2024, will fulfill the mayor’s duties until the council appoints a mayor to serve the remainder of Markley’s term.

The mayor pro tempore remains a voting member of the city council while presiding over council meetings. Lykins will 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.

Mayor Pro Tempore Brenda Lykins

The city council will meet at 3 p.m. Thursday to determine the appointment process for a new mayor. The appointed mayor will serve until voters pick a new mayor in the Nov. 4, 2025, election. The next elected mayor will assume the duties of the office immediately upon certification of the election.

Markley said in her statement that she intends to remain a resident and support the city in a new role.

“This change means our lives will be a little different, but we’re not going anywhere,” she said. “We look forward to many years in our special city and plan to be an active part of the community.

“I offer my sincere thanks to city leaders and staff with whom I have been proud to serve. And I share my belief that this community is strong not because of any one person, but because of the thousands of people who together make our home so special. I am truly grateful for the time I have had as mayor, and I will always be cheering for the city of Gig Harbor.”

Markley took charge in 2022

Markley, then a city council member, replaced Kit Kuhn to begin 2022. Kuhn chose not to run for a second term. Nobody filed to challenge her.

Two weeks before the election, longtime former councilman Ken Malich jumped into the race as a write-in candidate. His late, long-shot bid failed as Markley won with 91.7% of the vote.

Lykins, a semi-retired nurse practitioner, took a seat on the council the same year, beating Jim Franich, 72.7%-27.2%.

Lykins has filled in for Markley before, running meetings and assuring staff have what they need. She says she likely won’t seek the appointment to be mayor, which is a half-time position. As pro tempore, she can serve as mayor for up to 90 days, she said.

“I think I’m better served right now as a council member, and I need to just make some decisions,” she said. “I haven’t given it enough thought, but at this point it’s not something I’m considering.”

New mayor Tracie Markley takes the oath of office at the Dec. 13, 2021, city council meeting. Photo by Charlee Glock-Jackson Charlee Glock-Jackson / Gig Harbor Now

Combined to hire human services director

Lykins praised Markley for her help in hiring a housing, health and human services director.

“I brought that forward to council a couple years ago in our last biennium budget and Mayor Markley was very supportive,” she said. “Together we were able to bring that program to fruition, and it’s been a great benefit to city residents.”

Lykins called Markley a wonderful mayor who was great to work with and brought respect to the city.

“She is a true stateswoman and friend and I’m sad to see her leaving,” she said. “We are all going through things. I know Mayor Markley has been balancing the needs of her family and her city and I fully respect her decision, as hard as it is. I believe she loved being mayor and I believe she was a very good mayor.”

Councilwoman Jeni Woock wasn’t totally surprised by the announcement because Markley has been off for a month dealing with family issues that apparently became more serious, she said.

Woock doesn’t want job, either

“She tried very hard to be able to work around serious family issues and was not able to do that,” Woock said. “She’s been an excellent mayor, done a great job as mayor for the council, and I think the employees really liked her a lot and respected her. I think she has done an excellent job representing the city in Olympia and to whoever she’s spoken to. She will be greatly, greatly missed.”

Woock isn’t interested in serving as mayor. In fact, she has announced she won’t be running for re-election next year after her second four-year council term ends.

“I look forward to seeing how this appointment goes and who we appoint,” she said. “It’s exciting to see how that will go.”

City Administrator Katrina Knudson described Markley as a tremendous public servant who led the community with civility, compassion and fairness.

Mayor Tracie Markley addresses the crowd during a sports complex groundbreaking ceremony. At left is City Councilwoman Mary Deming Barber and an unidentified guest. Photo by Ed Friedrich

She’ll be missed

“She came to work each day with the sole goal of making Gig Harbor a better place and was not afraid to make difficult decisions,” she said. “ Tracie focused on building relationships and would always take the time to understand a differing point of view. She will be sorely missed.”

Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Miriam Battson said Markley was the right person at the right time for the city.

“Tracie has been such an advocate for our community, and she has always made her decisions based on what’s in the best interest of our community, the residents and the businesses,” she said. “From that perspective she will be missed. She’s been a pleasure to work with.”