At the conclusion of the Lakewood City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 6, Mayor Don Anderson announced that he will not seek reelection in January.
Anderson will continue to serve out the remaining two years of his term as a member of the Lakewood City Council.
On a Monday night almost exactly 50 years ago (fall of 1971), I was barely 18 and sworn into the Puyallup School Board, making me the youngest elected official in the state of Washington. That’s still a record, as far as I know. I never intended to become the oldest, and I’m not going to.
It’s been my privilege to serve the community, and for a few years, the nation, in a variety of roles over those 50 years. I’ve truly received more than I could possibly give. It’s been a special honor to serve as Lakewood’s mayor for the past 9 years. A lot has been accomplished by this council and by the City’s outstanding staff during my 14 years as a member of this body.
It’s always been my intent that this will be my last term on the City Council. More than a year ago, I came to the conclusion that this January would be a good time for transition, and the fact that the bulk of you were re-elected this fall made this a safe decision for me.
I will not step forward as a potential nominee for mayor in January. I do intend to serve the two remaining years of my council term in the mold of Bill Harrison, who did the same thing; he spent his last two years as a member of council after stepping down as mayor.
I hope that you will join me in considering our colleague Jason Whalen as my successor.
It won’t be me in January, but I’ll still be here. It’s time for Lakewood to move on and for me to start winding things down. It’s not goodbye, and I hope to be productive on the council for the next few years.