Port Angeles mayor should resign, council member says

PORT ANGELES — City Council member Larry Williams believes Gary Braun should voluntarily resign as mayor for the sake of “good, clear new leadership.”

“I don’t doubt probably that’s what they think,” Braun responded, not specifying who “they” were.

But the 72-year-old mayor, whose association with Port Angeles city service dates back 50 years, told the Peninsula Daily News he has no intention of stepping down.

“I’m done at the end of 2009, you bet,” he said, referring to the time when his four-year elected term on the City Council ends.

Williams, 62, a real estate agent, is a three-term member of the City Council and, after Braun, is its senior member in years served.

He was deputy mayor under Mayor Karen Rogers from 2005-2007.

In an interview with the PDN, Williams suggested three options for the City Council to move forward:

Hire an interim city manager and permanent city manager with strong experience in city council-city manager relationships, someone with a fresh perspective from outside the area.

Prohibit all council members from having contact with department heads unless they have prior approval from the city manager.

Braun, whom Williams described as his “mentor,” should voluntarily step down.