City set to appoint new councilor Feb. 10

Interviews slated to finish Feb. 6

A former mayor, a builder, a retired city employee, previous council hopefuls, and more make up a pool of eight candidates vying for Sequim City Council’s seventh seat.

Current councilors anticipate appointing a seventh councilor at their Feb. 10 regular meeting. Interviews were set to start on Feb. 3. A second set of interviews begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6 in the Sequim Civic Center, 152 W. Cedar St.

City Clerk Heather Robley said 10 residents initially applied, but two candidates, Pamela Hastings and Dennis Hammer, withdrew.

Candidates include Kelly Burger, Patrick Day, Tom Ferrell,Dennison “Denny” Luce, Gregory McCarry, William Stone, Pete Tjemsland, and RC Weber. Read more about them below.

They’ll each be asked a series of 10 questions, such as “What issues is our city facing now?”

If councilors choose an appointee on Feb. 10, they’ll begin serving after taking the oath of office.

The appointee replaces former councilor Kathy Downer who resigned on Jan. 13 to retire and spend more time with family.

Downer was a nurse for 43 years and served on the Marietta City Council in Ohio from 2014-2019 before moving to Sequim. She served on the City of Sequim’s Planning Commission prior to running for city council in 2021 when she won seat No. 2. In 2023, she switched to run for seat No. 1 and also won.

To serve the remainder of Downer’s term, a candidate must file for the August Primary in May. If elected, they’d serve through the end of the seat’s term set to expire Dec. 31, 2027.

City councilors have 90 days from Downer’s resignation to appoint someone, according to state law. Seat No. 1 receives $377 per month.

Candidates

• Kelly Burger, a city resident for more than six years

In a cover letter, Burger said he left his professional career in 2020 to be a full-time parent and to support his wife in her career. In a previous questionnaire for a council appointed seat in 2024, Burger said he worked as a sales estimator at Brix Marine in Port Angeles and has an Associates of Science degree in Marine Environmental Technology from Florida Keys Community College. He’s an active member of the YMCA and a regular library patron.

• Patrick Day, a city resident for four years

In a previous interview when he ran for council in 2023, Day said he’s married with two children. He’s a veteran and served for 13 years in active and reserve duty for the U.S. Air Force as security police, and as an explosive ordnance disposal technician. He’s a retired peace officer of 27 years in law enforcement with the California Department of Corrections, and has more than 27 years as a union activist with the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. He was elected to that for 18-plus years.

• Tom Ferrell, a city resident for eight years

Ferrell served on the Sequim Planning Commission from March 2018-December 2019 and was elected to the council in 2019. He served as deputy mayor and mayor during his tenure, and resigned in March 2024 due to business obligations. In a cover letter, he said his business obligations are now completed. Ferrell was a U.S. Air Force B-52 flight officer and later an Air Force Reservist for 30 years. He owned an aerospace research company in San Diego, and served as the CEO of World Trade Center Sacramento, economic development director for the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, and the director for quality management for Aerojet Rocket Company.

• Dennison “Denny” Luce, a resident for seven years

Luce graduated from Western Washington University and became a manufacturers’ representative in the electrical industry in Seattle for more than 20 manufacturers as their sales agent. He also owned and operated his own business, expanding to Hawaii before returning to the Olympic Peninsula. Luce spent most of his youth in Port Angeles. He is an avid golfer, and he and his wife ride bikes regularly. They have a son and three granddaughters.

• Gregory McCarry, a city resident for 19 years

McCarry said he formed Westerra Homes 18 years ago and has been building in Sequim during that span. He started his real estate career in 1975 and has managed a 10,000-acre real estate portfolio for a public company, multiple residential neighborhoods, commercial projects, and a complete real estate sales and marketing team. McCarry said he wants to contribute to the city’s Comprehensive Plan update, and believes Sequim’s current codes need “to provide less costly housing types to serve the market.”

• William Stone, a resident for more than three years

Stone said in a previous interview for an appointed council seat that he has mostly worked as an international IT compliance analyst for Costco Wholesale. He worked for that company for nearly 30 years. He went to college at Northern Arizona University where he studied Business Management. Stone and his now ex-wife have two sons. They moved to San Diego for her career for nine years before moving to Washington in August of 1996. Stone moved to Sequim in March 2020 and has been active with Olympic Theatre Arts.

• Pete Tjemsland, a resident for 32 years

According to a letter to the city council, Tjemsland said he’s lived in Sequim his entire life and worked for the city for 35 years, most recently as utilities manager until retiring in July 2024. He and his wife graduated from Sequim High School and have three daughters. Tjemsland has been a volunteer for the Sequim Irrigation Festival, and the Shiso, Japan and Sequim Sister City Association. He served in the U.S. Navy as a Seabee for 21 years, both in active duty and as a reservist, and was deployed to multiple locations throughout his career including during Operations Desert Shield and Storm. He retired as Equipment Operator Chief Petty Officer.

• RC Weber has been a city resident for nine years. No contact or biography information was available by press time.

For more information on Sequim City Council, call 360-683-4139, or visit sequimwa.gov.