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Thompson Falls has recently discovered itself without a mayor. This startle came after former incumbent Jerry Lacy unexpectedly announced his immediate resignation last Thursday.

City Clerk and Treasurer Chelsea Peterson commented that the City of Thompson Falls will be accepting letters of interest for the mayor position and has a closing date of March 20, 2020. “This will give the council time to meet and make a selection to be sworn in April 13,” Peterson said.

Stepping forward to fill the void left by Lacy will be City Council President Raoul Ribeiro, who began his stint with the city in 2008. Peterson shared that she is unaware whether Ribeiro will apply for the vacated mayor position but he has agreed to be acting for the interim.

As far as Ribeiro is concerned, “I am going to work with the city council as best I can in this position,” which officially began last Friday. “I will do whatever I can do to help the city through this transition,” Ribeiro stated.

Peterson noted that certain qualifications are necessary to be considered for mayor. These include being at least 21 years of age, a resident of Montana for at least three years and a resident for at least two years preceding the election to office of Thompson Falls or an area that has been annexed by Thompson Falls.

Lacy was sworn into the mayoral position November 5, 2018. Prior to this, he retired from working as Thompson Falls’ Public Works Director for 27 years. Lacy took over the mayor position when Mark Sheets resigned at an October 2018 council meeting.