A surfing, stay-at-home dad is the newest Sequim city councilor.

Kelly Burger, 34, a city resident for six-plus years, was chosen on Monday, Feb. 10 by councilors to serve through the November general election.

Burger was sworn in at the beginning of the council meeting, and said at the end he feels excited to serve the city.

“We love living in Sequim and I want to make it a good place to live for my kids and I want to make it a place that when they get older hopefully they’ll want to live here,” he said. “And if they do leave, hopefully it’s that I’ve just told too many dad jokes and not that they don’t see a future in Sequim.”

Four councilors — Mayor Brandon Janisse, Dan Butler, Nicole Hartman and Harmony Rutter — voted for Burger, while two — Deputy Mayor Rachel Anderson and Vicki Lowe — voted for Pete Tjemsland.

He replaces Kathy Downer who resigned on Jan. 13 to retire and spend more time with family.

Downer was elected to council seat No. 1 in 2023, and if Burger chooses to serve the remainder of her term through 2027, he must file for the August Primary in May and win the seat in November

Burger was one of eight candidates considered, including Patrick Day, former mayor Tom Ferrell, Denny Luce, Greg McCarry, William Stone, Tjemsland and R.C. Weber.

Butler, who nominated Burger, said he liked Burger’s presentation during his Feb. 3 council interview for being well-organized, and he appreciated his professional and personal background and his priorities for the city.

During the council meeting, Butler thanked the applicants saying “it’s very gratifying to see people interested in serving in this position and I’m grateful to you for putting yourselves out there for this process.”

Interview

In his council interview, Burger said he’s been looking for opportunities to contribute to the local government, and he applied and interviewed for Ferrell’s vacant seat in 2024.

Some of his priorities include improving infrastructure to make the city safer and more walkable by adding sidewalks, street lamps and improving roads, protecting green space, addressing climate change, and prioritizing affordable/workforce housing.

In a separate interview, he said walkability is important as he lives near Margaret Kirner Park “and if you want to walk there from Fourth (Avenue), you have to walk on the side of the road, and there’s no sidewalks, there’s no street lights.”

As a councilor, Burger said he wants to work collaboratively with fellow councilors, listen to community members and be transparent about the council’s decision-making process.

Asked by councilors about his background in legislative advocacy, Burger said he looks to gain that experience. Burger said he and his wife advocated for their son who has “complex medical needs” and their keys to success with his medical team were expressing opinions, being vulnerable, asking for help when needed, working as a team and being nice.

Burger said he’s “open to hear from the citizens of Sequim and he’s excited to represent people that live here.”

Background

Burger said that he and his wife Miranda met in high school in Gig Harbor, and before moving to Sequim they traveled the country in a camper for a year “to kind of do it all.”

“We’ve always loved Sequim, so we decided to settle down here when we were done,” Burger said.

The couple have two children ages 4 and 15 months, and he plans to remain a stay-at-home father.

He left the workforce in 2020 to support his wife’s career. Previously, he worked as a sales estimator at Brix Marine in Port Angeles and has an Associates of Science degree in Marine Environmental Technology from Florida Keys Community College.

Burger said he enjoys surfing, gardening, and protecting the environment.

“I want to make sure everyone can have a quality life in Sequim,” Burger said.

He’ll participate with city councilors in their upcoming council retreat later this month that will focus on the city’s updated Comprehensive Plan.

For more information about the Sequim City Council, visit sequimwa.gov.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Kelly Burger, a Sequim city resident for nearly seven years, listens to fellow councilors during his first city council meeting on Feb. 10. He was appointed earlier in the evening to replace Kathy Downer and serve through certification of the 2025 general election.