PT City Council's Speser won't seek re-election

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Port Townsend City Councilmember Ariel Speser announced that she would not be seeking re-election to a second term.

"It's bittersweet to be making this decision," Speser said in an announcement Friday. "Serving as a Port Townsend councilmember has been a truly transformative and rewarding experience."

Speser said she was proud of the work that she's done since being elected to the council in November 2017. Speser said she initially chose to enter the world of local politics to see that Port Townsend remained a vibrant, livable, and inclusive community.

Speser said she was proud of the work she had done on the council to advocate for the creation of the city's behavioral health Navigator program. The councilmember said she would be leaving with an optimistic outlook for the city's future, pointing to policy decisions put into place by the council's Ad Hoc Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement, which she said will help to make the Port Townsend Police Department more transparent and focused on harm reduction.

"Growing up here instilled strong values of social and environmental justice, a commitment to serving those who are the most vulnerable, and a true appreciation for the beauty around us," Speser said.

Speser will continue her legal career working for the Washington State Attorney General's Office. She plans to continue living in Port Townsend with her husband, 16-month-old daughter, their terrier and a second child, coming in September.

Speser currently serves in Position 2 on the seven-member council.

She is also a member of the City Council Rules Committee, the Jeffcom Administrative Board, the Jefferson County Behavioral Health Committee, the board of the Jefferson Transit Authority, and the executive board of the Peninsula Transportation Regional Transportation Planning Organization.

Two other positions on the council will be on the ballot this year; Position 1 and Position 5.

Councilmember Michelle Sandoval, who was elected to Position 1 and serves as Port Townsend mayor, has previously said her current term on the council will be her last. 

Sandoval joined the council 20 years ago and is in her fifth term. She became mayor for the third time in 2020.

Pamela Adams currently serves in Position 5 and was elected in 2017.  She has not announced a run for re-election.

Port Townsend councilmembers are paid $6,000 a year. 

Candidate Filing Week opens Monday, May 17 and ends Friday, May 21.