Sheets returns as TF mayor

The new mayor in Thompson Falls is a familiar face to the City Council. On Monday, the council unanimously voted to appoint Mark Sheets as the new mayor. Sheets was the only person to submit a letter of interest for the position, which was vacated last month when Mayor Jerry Lacy resigned.

Sheets said he was waiting to see if anyone else would show interest, but no one did. He added that he figured that with him, there would be no learning curve, or far less than there would be with an unseasoned mayor. Raoul Ribeiro, the council member who was acting as mayor before Sheets was voted in Monday, did not wish to continue in the interim position.

Sheets was first appointed mayor after Carla Parks resigned from the position. He was re-elected in 2017, but then resigned in October 2018. Lacy, who was the previous Public Works Director for the city, took over when Sheets resigned.

Sheets said that he was mayor when a lot of big projects like Ainsworth and the community sewer project were just kicking off.

"Someone is going to have to testify before the legislature on behalf of these projects and I have done that kind of thing before," said Sheets when referring to his previous time as mayor and the upcoming needs of these projects. "I would like to see these projects finished, since I saw many of them start."