Lake Stevens Mayor Brett Gailey announces resignation

Published 11:04 am Wednesday, March 25, 2026

EVERETT — At the end of the Tuesday Lake Stevens Council meeting, Mayor Brett Gailey announced his resignation, effective April 13.

It was a family decision, he said. They will be moving back to Idaho.

“My wife and I, over the last year, have spent many nights talking — lots of deliberation and prayers,” Gailey said. “We are going to relocate out of the state.”

It was not a light decision, he said, fighting back tears.

“It has been such a privilege for me to be the mayor and to help build this community that I absolutely love and the citizens of this community,” Gailey said. “Our current family circumstances just dictate a need for change, and so we are going to make that bold decision.”

The City Council President Anji Jorstad will be mayor pro tem starting April 13. Afterward, city staff will call for members of the public to apply for the open mayoral seat, Jorstad said in an interview Wednesday.

Once the application deadline has ended, the council will conduct interviews and select the next mayor to complete the current term, which ends in December 2027.

Details will be provided once they become available, a city press release said.

Gailey is also the chair of the County Charter Review Commission. The commission works independently to review the county’s laws and governmental structure, then makes suggestions for changes. Gailey was one of three commissioners elected for District 5. During the first meeting on Jan. 14, the commissioners elected him chair with a 10-4 vote.

Vice Chair Mark James confirmed Gailey will attend the next commission meeting on Wednesday.

Gailey has been a resident of Lake Stevens since 2004. Before that, he lived in Idaho and worked at the Boise Police Department. He was elected to the Lake Stevens City Council in 2017 and elected as mayor in 2019. He became the city’s first full-time mayor in 2020. His current term began after winning reelection in 2023.

Gailey retired from the Everett Police Department in 2020 after 21 years in law enforcement. Also, he served in the Idaho National Guard until 2014, completing two tours in Iraq, then transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve as a military intelligence officer. He retired from the Army Reserve in 2025. He has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish literature from Boise State University and a Master of Business Administration from American Military University.

Gailey is married to Micah Gailey, a certified public accountant, and has seven children.

After the announcement, the City Council members offered their congratulations.

“We get this one life to live and it’s important that we do what we can to make it the life we need it to be,” Jorstad said. “I admire your courage.”

Gailey discussed the announcement with Jorstad on Monday before the City Council meeting to prepare her for the upcoming mayor pro tem role.

“It certainly was not something that — I don’t think anybody saw coming, or that he’d talked about to any of us. So it was definitely a surprise,” Jorstad said in the Wednesday interview. “On a scale of one to 10, I was a 10.”

She discussed the new role with Gailey, but still doesn’t completely know what to expect, Jorstad said. However, she trusts the city’s department leaders and City Administrator Gene Brazel to facilitate a smooth transition, she said.

“It’s a pretty well-oiled machine,” Jorstad said. “We’ll work together over the next few months to continue to move things forward that are already moving forward.”

Council member Brian McManus appreciates the good things Gailey did for Lake Stevens, he said in an email, but is anxious to see the city take a new direction.

“I wish the Mayor the best of luck,” he said. “I am confident that the City Council will find the next great leader for our community. I think new leadership will energize the voters.”

During the Tuesday meeting, Council member Kymm Shipman expressed her gratitude to Gailey. Watching him work as mayor was a significant reason she ran for city council, Shipman said.

“I think the vast majority of people in our city know you’re mayor, but they have no idea just how much you’ve sacrificed being our mayor,” she said. “You travel more than anyone I know advocating for our city.”

Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; X: @BTayOkay