Don Gerend

Don Gerend will resign as Sammamish mayor in July, Sammamish Comment learned.

He will remain on the Council.

Reached last night, Gerend said he is resigning the mayoral position for personal reasons, cutting back on his commitments.

The Deputy Mayor is Bob Keller,  but it is not a given that he will ascend to Gerend’s spot. Under Sammamish council rules, a vote will be taken at the next meeting after Gerend resigns to select a new mayor.

Nominations will be offered at that meeting, followed by a vote.

Gerend’s term expires Dec. 31. He announced in January he won’t seek reelection; Keller and Council Members Kathy Huckabay and Tom Odell are also retiring.

Candidate filings are this week, ending Friday, with the State Public Disclosure Commission. So far, seven candidates filed for the four positions. Positions 3, 5 and 7 each have two candidates; only Position 1 is so far unopposed. Jason Ritchie filed for this seat in February.