LYNNWOOD — Lynnwood City Council member Shirley Sutton announced her resignation Wednesday, effective immediately.
In her sudden resignation letter to council President George Hurst, Sutton expressed her “overwhelming desire to return home in beautiful Yakima Valley,” according to a press release Wednesday.
“I have enjoyed working with (the Council),” Sutton wrote in her letter. “I leave the council confident that the city is in your most capable hands.”
Sutton served on the council from 2016 to 2020, then was elected again in 2021.
“Council Member Sutton has been a long-time public servant in our city and surrounding community,” Mayor Christine Frizzell said in the press release. “Her concern for people and their welfare has impacted many in our community in so many ways. I am honored to have served alongside her as a council member as well as in my current role as Mayor. Thank you for your service to our community, Shirley. You will be missed.”
A Daily Herald reporter’s call to Sutton’s phone went straight to voicemail Wednesday.
Sutton was the first woman of color to serve on the Lynnwood City Council.
In 2019, she received the NAACP Snohomish County’s Carl Gipson Lifetime Achievement Award. She also served on the NAACP Black Women’s coalition as the chair of the Lynnwood Neighborhood Demographics Diversity Commission.
Sutton spent eight years on the governor’s Advisory Council on Homelessness. She was also the former director of adult basic education at Yakima Valley Community College and diversity affairs at Edmonds College.
In her time on the council, she advocated for small businesses and housing affordability. She helped secure funding for diversity and cultural competency training for city employees. Along with being on the council she was the liaison for the city’s Human Services Commission, Arts Commission, Equity & Inclusion Commission, the Lynnwood Tourism Advisory Committee and the Alliance for Housing Affordability.
The City Council will discuss the details of the vacancy at a meeting May 13. The council has 90 days to chose someone to fill the seat, per state law. The newly appointed person would serve until the next election in November.
“Any person interested” can apply for the position, according to city policy.
Applicants will be interviewed by the council, who will then vote on someone to fill the position.
Ashley Nash: 425-339-3037; ashley.nash@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @ash_nash00.
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