Schmit steps down from council

Shelton Deputy Mayor Joe Schmit said he is resigning from the Shelton City Council halfway through his second term because he wanted to work on long-term city policies and plans while most of the other council members, and the community, do not.

"Instead of trying to resist or get frustrated, I felt it was time to step aside," Schmit said Tuesday in an interview with the Journal. He said he feels he is "at the crossroads" after six years on the City Council.

"It's not so much a frustration, but you come in with a hope that your city wants quick changes ... But it doesn't feel like the community wants to 'solve' the problems," he said.

Schmit said he and some of the other council members have differing ideas about the role of the council. He said he wanted to work on long-term city policies that would be vetted by the community, conveyed to the city departments and enacted.

"I was always very hungry to deep dive into that ... I needed six other council members to go on that adventure with me," Schmit said. He added, "really, the job is long-term planning and visioning with the community."

Schmit's resignation was announced at the council's April 2 regular meeting, which he did not attend. On Tuesday evening, Schmit joined the members of the council at a study session at the Shelton Civic Center. Replacing him was on the agenda. The city has 90 days to select a new council member, who will serve the last two years of Schmit's term and could then opt to run to keep the seat in the fall 2025 general election.

The city plans to send out a news release Monday and run advertisements between April 18 and 25. The deadline to apply for the position is 1 p.m. May 3. The candidates will be interviewed on May 14, and the council will vote for a new member that day. The new member will be sworn in May 21.

Schmit was elected in 2018, after voters turned the three-member Shelton City Commission - the last one in the state - into a seven-member council. He was twice voted deputy mayor by the other council members.

Schmit addressed the council at the beginning of Tuesday's work session.

"We all run for city council, we have big hopes and dreams that we're going to solve all the problems in Shelton, big and small, once we get elected," he said. "Then we get elected and reality kind of kicks in and then we learn just how hard it is and how difficult the battle that we have to fight to just move the needle a little bit in the community."

Schmit said that although he "absolutely loved" the opportunity to serve on the council and praised city staff, "my values, and the values of the community and the council, aren't fully aligned."

His advice to his successor is "You're going to have to make tough calls, you're going to have to piss off friends and family, or we're not going to get anywhere."

The council members shared their thoughts.

Mayor Eric Onisko thanked him for his service – the two were elected together in 2018.

"We haven't always agreed on issues or how to solve an issue, but we definitely respect each other's decision ... I don't think anyone comes more prepared than Joe for a meeting," he said.

Council member Sharon Schirman said she'll miss Schmit's questions, "which help me see things I wouldn't have even known to ask before." Council member Miguel Gutierrez said Schmit has earned his respect.

"We didn't always agree on everything, but you know what?" said council member George Blush. "You showed up and you got things done. I appreciate you."

Schmit then left the meeting. His resignation was official the next day.

In his interview with the Journal, Schmit said that after being re-elected, "the reality set in - we can't solve everyone's problems when they pop up."

The city's budget challenges keep the employee pool at 90, Schmit pointed out.

"It's hampered our ability to do more than the bare minimum ... The city isn't going to advance in a positive direction if it doesn't grow," he said.

The city tried to add affordable housing, but the community opposed the proposed sale of 90 acres for a development, Schmit said. The city doesn't have millions to build shelters, but "we do have property," he said. But the proposed development "was a flop," he said, adding "it's a not-in-my-backyard mentality."

Shelton can add employers or choose to become even more of a bedroom community, Schmit said.

"Shelton is on the cusp of a lot of changes ... it all depends on what the community wants," he said, adding, "It was hard to tell what Shelton wants."

Schmit said the highlights have included working behind the scenes to help get capital projects completed, working to get state funding for construction and representing the city on various boards, including the Economic Development Council of Mason County and MACECOM.

Schmit moved to Shelton in 2010 and said he and his family plan to stay. The couple has two sons, ages 13 and 20. Schmit said he plans to catch his younger son's basketball games. He is the business manager of the highway construction division for the state Department of Transportation.

And his advice to his successor? "This job - you can put as much into it, or as little. Be careful with this ... I definitely felt I was doing another full-time job." Also, "Don't let the noisy minority get you down."