The Kirkland City Council selected Councilmember Penny Sweet to serve as mayor for the remainder of 2019 during a meeting on Jan. 2.
The Council’s selection came after Mayor Amy Walen announced she’d be resigning from the City Council effective Jan. 31, 2019, to dedicate her time to serving in her newly elected role in the Washington State House of Representatives. Mayor Sweet began her first term on the City Council in January 2010. She served as Deputy Mayor from 2010–2011 and 2014–2015. Mayor Sweet has lived in Kirkland since 1985. In addition to serving on the City Council’s Planning and the Economic Development Committee and chairing the Public Safety Committee, Mayor Sweet is on the Board of Directors for the Cascade Water Alliance, the Kirkland Downtown Association and Hopelink. Mayor Sweet also serves on the SCA Regional Water Quality Committee, the Solid Waste Advisory Council and as the chair of Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee.
“I would like to thank my fellow councilmembers for selecting me to serve the Kirkland community as mayor,” Mayor Sweet says. “I also want to thank Rep. Amy Walen for her leadership during her almost 10 years of dedicated service on the Kirkland City Council.”
The City of Kirkland operates under the “council-manager” form of government, which means the mayor’s responsibilities are primarily to preside at council meetings and act as the head of the city for ceremonial purposes and for purposes of military law. The mayor votes as a councilmember and does not have veto power. More information on Mayor Sweet can be found on the City’s website: KirklandWA.gov.
