PRESS RELEASE - Port Townsend City Council Resignation Announcement
PORT TOWNSEND – Aislinn Palmer has announced her resignation from Position 2 on City Council, effective May 31.
“I have made the difficult decision to leave this community. It has been an honor to serve with you and our fellow councilmembers, and I have great faith in your ability to continue this important work,” said Palmer in a letter to Mayor David Faber.
“I will be particularly sorry to see Aislinn go,” said Mayor David Faber, “given her incredible intellect and willingness to do what is morally right or push for the optimal policy outcomes in the face of opposition. Aislinn will leave big shoes to fill, even after only slightly more than two years on City Council. I thank her greatly for her service.” Upon her verbal announcement at the May 6 Regular Business Meeting of City Council, other fellow elected members expressed their gratitude for her service to the community.
City Manager John Mauro also noted: “I have enjoyed working with Councilmember Palmer immensely. She always stood up for policy decisions she believed in and served our community selflessly, strategically, and courageously.”
Palmer joined City Council in January 2022 and her term expires in November 2025. City Council will be tasked with appointing a new member to fill her seat for the remainder of the term.
Palmer moved to the Olympic Peninsula in 2016 to work on the launch of Bayside Housing & Services, based in Port Hadlock. She left Bayside in 2019 and continued to be active in housing advocacy and policy, volunteering for the Housing Solutions Network and serving on the Port Townsend Planning Commission from 2018 to 2021 (Chair 2020-2021). She has a background in nonprofit management and community organizing, and until recently, was part of the leadership team at Fort Worden Hospitality. She serves on several boards and committees including:
• City Council Infrastructure and Development Committee, Chair
• Housing Fund Board
• Jefferson County Behavioral Health Committee
• Jefferson County FEMA Funds (Dove House Advocacy Services, Administrative Agency)
• Joint Growth Management Steering Committee
• North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council (NODC)
The City Clerk will be working with Council on the procedures to appoint a successor to conclude the current term for Position 2. An application process is expected to kick off by the end of this month, followed by City Council interviews at Council meetings during the summer. The process and appointment is expected to be completed by the end of August.
Mayor Faber continued: “Community members interested in learning more about the process for filling a vacancy on City Council will want to attend or tune into the next Regular Business Meeting of City Council on May 20, at 6:00 p.m.”
Agendas, minutes, and video recordings of Council meetings are available on the City’s website:
https://cityofpt.us/citycouncil/page/agendasminutesvideos
More information about filling open City Council positions can be found here:
Council Rules Chapter 3, Section 2
https://weblink.cityofpt.us/WebLink/DocView.aspx?dbid=0&id=203310&page=1...
RCW 42.12.70
https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=42.12.070
MRSC
https://mrsc.org/explore-topics/elections/getting-into-office/vacancies
