Richland councilman calling it quits after 12 years. Two others may be leaving too
A 12-year veteran of the Richland City Council is leaving, opening up a vacancy on the council.
Councilman Phil Lemley is leaving the city to move closer to family in Arkansas, according to a city news release. Lemley had submitted his resignation from the council as of Wednesday.
“I put everything I had into being a public servant for the city of Richland and the citizens for 12 years. Now it is time for someone else to do their part,” he said in the release. “It has been my very distinct honor to have worked with all of the professionals and staff that put their tireless efforts into supporting and growing this community every day.”
Lemley grew up in Little Rock, Ark., before spending eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
As an electrical engineer he worked for Bechtel National when he came to Richland as part of the team designing the vitrification plant at Hanford.
He was responsible for the plant’s communications and security network. He also led numerous blood drives, three United Way campaign and a Washington State Department of Transportation Adopt-a-Highway clean-up program.
He retired in 2009 and joined the city council the next year. He most recently won reelection in a heated race against challenger Lisa Thomas in 2019.
He also made headlines for his campaign to have former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis run for president and for collecting blue lights for police officers.
He also made an unsuccessful run to replace state state Rep. Brad Klippert in 2018.
Mayor Michael Alvarez praised Lemley’s passion and leadership.
“We appreciate Phil’s service to Richland and his commitment to public safety, the aging community and citizens with disabilities,” Alvarez said in a city release. “He is a champion of fair and equitable government practices. We wish him the best of luck as he returns to his roots in Arkansas.”
Replacing Lemley
The process to fill Lemley’s spot will follow a similar process to how former Councilman Brad Anderson was replaced in 2020.
The city will accept applications, which will be narrowed by the council to a finalist. Officials are hoping to have a finalist picked by July. The candidate will serve until the November 2023 general election.
In the selection process for Anderson’s replacement, the council narrowed the list of 33 applicants to three finalists. Those were interviewed and one was picked.
Lemley’s seat is possibly one of three that could end up open depending on the results of upcoming election.
Two sitting councilmen are running for elected office. Ryan Lukson is seeking to replace Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller in November, and Alvarez is one of three candidates trying to replace outgoing county Commissioner Shon Small.
The city’s charter prevents any council member from holding another elected office.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 12:56 PM.