Ketchikan City Council member Mark Flora resigned from the council on Thursday. In a letter sent to the city earlier this month, he wrote that it had been a privilege serving for more than eight years, and thanked his fellow council members and staff, but said that “personal and family priorities” no longer allow him to devote the time the position requires.
At Thursday’s regular city council meeting, Flora took the podium to reflect on his time in local government.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have done this,” he told the rest of the council. “Everybody who serves in this position, everybody who does this, none of us do it alone. We’re all dependent on each other and we’re dependent on a lot of other people.”
The council accepted Flora’s resignation and recognized his accomplishments.
“Councilmember Flora has been a strong advocate for listening to the concerns of all people in the community of Ketchikan and encouraging all citizens to bring their thoughts and ideas to the table and engage with local government,” Mayor Bob Sivertsen said, reading from a resolution drafted by the council. “And whereas councilmember Flora exhibited his dedication to the people of Ketchikan by working to maximize the benefit local government and respecting different opinions and advocating for initiatives that created a higher quality of life for Ketchikan citizens.”
The council and staff also joked in the official resolution that while Flora was participating in a local school exchange in Japan, he was repeatedly mistaken for Mario from the Super Mario videogame franchise “thanks to his moustache and Italian heritage.”
Flora has served on the council since 2016. He was vice mayor in 2022. He’s been a long-time resident of Ketchikan, moving to town in the 1980s and founding local auto repair shop All American Auto.
The council voted unanimously to attempt to appoint Flora’s replacement immediately. City Clerk Kim Stanker said that the city will advertise to attract applicants for the seat. Stanker said that the advertisement will be posted for seven days. She also said the city will reach out to the three former candidates that lost the race for a seat on the council in last year’s municipal election. Those candidates were Dion Booth, Michael Briggs, and David Dentinger.
After the application period is over, the city council will interview the candidates and appoint someone to fill the seat.
