Ribeiro sworn in as interim mayor

Thompson Falls City Council member Raoul Ribeiro was sworn in as interim mayor on Monday.

Ribeiro, the City Council president, will serve as mayor until the council appoints a new mayor. Jerry Lacy resigned from the position earlier this month.

The city is now accepting letters of interest from residents interested in serving as mayor. The council will appoint a new mayor, who will then serve through 2024, the end of the term for which Mark Sheets was elected in 2020.

To serve as mayor, a person must have been a resident of the city of Thompson Falls for at least two years, a resident of Montana for at least three years, and at least 21 years of age.

Ribeiro, who owns a counseling business in Thompson Falls, has said he is not interested in serving as mayor for more than the interim time, until the council can appoint someone.

Lacy was appointed mayor by the City Council on July 31 of this year after Sheets resigned. Lacy previously served as mayor from November 2018, another time when Sheets resigned, to April 2020. At that time Lacy resigned and Sheets was appointed to the position, winning election that fall and serving until he resigned earlier this year.