THOMPSON FALLS — Thompson Falls City Council President Raoul Ribeiro has taken over as interim mayor following the resignation of Jerry Lacy until the city can find another candidate for its new mayor.
The Thompson Falls City Council held a special meeting on Monday, October 23, 2023, to appoint Ribeiro as interim mayor after Lacy resigned due to health issues.
Ribeiro said during the meeting that he does not take the responsibility he has been given lightly and will work hard for the city until a new mayor is elected. He also said he will not be running for election but plans to continue working on some of the projects the city is currently working on such as the water and sewer project.
“You know there’s a few things in the pipeline that we need to continue and that is funding for a water and sewer project that we’re doing," Ribeiro said. "The hope is to put out a proposition for the next two phases of that project. So, that’s something that’s looming in the background. I don’t know how much time we have to play with that. That might be something that I choose to do before we look at finding another mayor.”
Ribeiro later gave his reasoning for not seeking the position of mayor.
“With the position I have, I have a private practice, it would be really difficult for that to flourish and be the mayor at the same time so someone needs to put their heart and soul into this particular job and mine’s just not right there right now I still have to provide for my family and that’s most important on my mind.”
The City of Thompson Falls is currently looking for new mayoral candidates.
