Council selects Kurt Hilt to be new Lake Stevens mayor

Published 1:30 am Thursday, June 11, 2026

LAKE STEVENS — The Lake Stevens City Council unanimously voted Wednesday to appoint Kurt Hilt as the city’s new mayor.

The decision came after a three-hour public meeting, during which Hilt and two other candidates had 30 minutes to answer eight questions for the council.

When asked how he felt about the appointment, Hilt responded, “Wow.”

“It is an honor,” he said. “The council, and the residents of Lake Stevens through the council, have put their confidence in me to lead. That’s a big deal, and so we’re going to come to work on day one and do right by the residents of Lake Stevens.”

Hilt succeeds Brett Gailey, who resigned April 13. He will assume the role on Tuesday after signing the oath of office during the regular City Council meeting.

Hilt is a former City Council member and a captain with South County Fire, where he has worked for 27 years. However, he was on the “verge of retirement,” so moving into the full-time mayor position should be an easy transition, he said in a May interview.

The council also interviewed current City Council member Brian McManus and former City Council member Gary Petershagen.

Retired Everett Deputy Police Chief Jeraud Irving was also selected to interview but withdrew from the running on Tuesday, Council President Anji Jorstad said at the start of the special meeting.

Irving told city staff he made the decision “after thoughtful consideration,” City Clerk Kelly Chelin said in an interview.

During public comments, the council recognized McManus’ passion and excitement for the position but cited his lack of government experience as a primary reason for their hesitation to appoint him.

“I’m excited to see what you can do for the city going forward,” Council member Ryan Donoghue said during the meeting. “I do feel that on the con side, just in as far as technical depth of some of your answers, I think there’s more municipal experience to be gained, and that would benefit some of the things that I personally am looking for in this role.”

McManus has been on the council for six months. He said during his interview that he would be running for mayor in 2027.

On Petershagen, many of the council members said how much they enjoyed working with him during his nine years on the City Council. However, they could not ignore how he lost his reelection last year.

“I found it bold that you put your name in the hat,” Council member Sabina Araya said. “I think that takes a lot of courage.”

Araya said she appreciated Petershagen’s experience but found it concerning that there were no “lessons learned from the election.”

Last year, Petershagen lost to McManus 66.2% to 33.3%.

During his interview, Petershagen said 2027 was not on his radar and didn’t understand why not running for mayor next year would have anything to do with this appointment.

Council members appreciated the humility and empathy that came across during Hilt’s interview. They also recognized that he stepped into the open City Council seat last year, and while he lost the 2019 mayor election to Gailey, it was by a very slim margin.

“I really appreciate your public service,” City Council member Tosha Edwards said. “Being around people and knowing the people that we serve is really important, and your decades of community service says that you know a lot about the struggles that people in our community face.”

Receiving almost 50% of the vote in the 2019 election shows that Hilt was almost mayor, Edwards said.

“Our community supports you, and so I think that from our interviews today, we really need to have someone who stands out that our community can trust.”

During his interview, Hilt said he does plan to run for mayor in 2027.

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