Clyde Hill News: Mayor announces resignation
End of August timeline; “personal decision”
Mayor Steve Friedman announced his “intent to step down as mayor of Clyde Hill” at the end of August.
The announcement, which came at the beginning of Tuesday night’s city council meeting, appeared to surprise many people present — both in the room and online — including council members. Please note that this excerpt of the meeting includes a profanity and reflects what attendees experienced:
After the pledge of allegiance and before public comments, Mayor Friedman said:
“On or around the end of August, it is my intent to step down as mayor of Clyde Hill. Please note that this is a personal decision.”
Disclaimer: while I am a council member on the Clyde Hill City Council, I write this newsletter in my capacity as an individual resident. Any opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the position of the city. City information and references here are from public sources. I welcome email responses — and if the topic is about city business I will respond from my city email account.
This week’s newsletter is early and brief, to cover and focus on the one item above.
Tuesday night’s meeting ran for over three hours and included many other newsworthy items. For example, the budget crisis continues. The city will not pursue a stormwater utility in 2026, which is good for residents’ wallets and bad for the city’s budget deficit. City staff set expectations that a 2025 budget amendment is likely.
That said — the Mayor’s announcement of his resignation is significant and introduces additional uncertainty on top of what the city is already facing.
What’s next?
Residents I have spoken since the meeting have had many questions — who becomes mayor next? How is the vacancy filled? What does this mean for this fall’s elections? What does this change mean for residents, especially on major issues like the budget?
The answers to some questions will have to wait for “official” answers from the city. For example, per state law, the city council will appoint a successor. The specific process is up to the council, and has varied the three times the council has filled vacancies since 2023.
Coverage and analysis of the transition, the budget, Ratmageddon, and more will continue in the next issue of the newsletter.
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Dean Hachamovitch