EVERETT — A new president takes over the Everett City Council tonight but he won’t be around for long.
Councilman Shannon Affholter announced this week that he won’t seek re-election. He plans to complete his term, which finishes at the end of 2011.
Affholter said his family and
work responsibilities have grown too great for him to handle a time-consuming political campaign.
“It’s been a great honor. Everett is a great city,” he said. “It’s tough trying to balance it all. There’s only so much time in one day.”
He works as a business development director for Moss Adams, an accounting and consultant company. That position requires a lot of travel and time away from his family. He’s also considering returning to school for a graduate degree.
He and his wife, Shannon Lee, have two children, ages 11 and 8.
“The first people we told were my children,” Affholter said. “They were extremely happy Dad was not going to be running for re-election.”
That doesn’t mean Affholter is done with politics.
He helped form a fledgling organization, the Snohomish County Leadership Alliance, which aims to help mentor conservative candidates for local office.
Affholter said he plans to continue political work behind the scenes.
He hasn’t ruled out running for office at a later date when his children are grown.
As council president, Affholter’s most visible role this year will be keeping the council meetings moving. The job also comes with a lot of behind-the-scenes work.
The council and the mayor have a tough year ahead, as the city continues to deal with plummeting revenues.
Affholter said he’d like the city to do more to be ready to take advantage of an economic recovery when it occurs.
This is Affholter’s first term on the council. Before that, he served on the city’s parks board.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com
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