North Bend City Councilmember Chris Garcia Will Not Seek Re-election

At the North Bend City Council meeting on May 4th, 2021, Chris Garcia confirmed he would not be seeking re-election for position #6 on the North Bend City Council. According to King County Elections, filing for open positions begins on May 17^th and ends on May 21^st.

In the last year of his third term, Garcia had been appointed for this most current term after councilmember Jean Pettersen resigned in July 2018. When asked why he isn’t planning on seeking re-election, he remarked, “I just know that I won’t be mentally into this after this year.”

After serving on the Planning Commission, Councilmember Garcia first joined the council in 2002 when he was appointed a seat vacated by Elaine Webber, was re-elected twice before resigning in 2008. He again joined the council in 2010 when two more seats were needed because of a population increase.

Councilmember Garcia is the 2021 Mayor Pro Tem. In addition to serving in the absence of the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem, in coordination with the Administration, sets the agenda for the monthly work-study meetings, serves as a support for the Council’s standing committees, serves in the absence of committee members, assigns chairs, and works with the Mayor and Administration in connection with the duties of the committees.[1]

Long-time resident Garcia has been in the Valley since 1979. He started working at Frankie’s Pizza after college, eventually becoming one of the owners. His plans moving forward are to spend time with family and friends. He thinks he’ll take some time off but will re-engage with the community in some way again, most likely volunteering in some way.

When asked what he is most proud of during his tenure, Garcia replied. “I am most proud of the relationships I‘ve made with the council.  I have always voted in a manner that has left me with a clear conscience. I think we’ve done some good things over the last 20 years.”

North Bend Mayor Rob McFarland says, “Chris Garcia has been invaluable to the betterment of North Bend for over two decades through not only his service on the Planning Commission and as a member of Council, but as a caring, thoughtful and active member of the community at large. He has the temperament and outlook to evaluate issues and options we face over time in an objective, unbiased way that invariably results in his input/recommendations being influential and positive.”

“Having grown up in the community he has lived its history, has an understandable concern for the pace of change, and the perspective to see that while change is inevitable we can guide reasonable, measured decisions to maintain our small town feel. One memory that sticks with me is from a council meeting some years ago where a fairly recent resident was lecturing council on the meaning of the city’s mission statement.  After being patient with this throughout a long pubic comment period he calmly shared with the audience that he had been on the community team that had worked for months on this very statement and provided the background of the collective meaning behind the final statement. And yes it was quite different than the critic’s agenda.”

“From my time on the Planning Commission to the office of the Mayor I have consulted Chris on every range of topics for his advice and counsel. And he has been a great partner in this current year as the Mayor Pro Tem. While I will miss his presence on Council I know that he will be there for us as an engaged community member seeking the best for North Bend.”

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“Councilmember Garcia will be missed by residents, staff and fellow elected officials. He’s been a strong voice for North Bend citizens and a true example of a committed public servant. I also know we will continue hearing Chris’s voice at future council meetings – just in a different capacity- because he is passionate about his hometown.” – City PIO Danna McCall

[1] https://wa-northbend2.civicplus.com/Directory.aspx?EID=12