Vote certified: Pacific Mayor Cy Sun recalled; new mayor to be named Thursday

PACIFIC, Wash. -- Tuesday marked Mayor Cy Sun's last day in office as King County Elections certified that residents voted to recall him.

A little more than 65 percent -- 1,453 voters -- in Pacific voted the 83-year-old mayor out of office. The vote was held June 25.

After the certification announcement, the Pacific City Council said it would meet Tuesday night to begin the process of appointing a new mayor and that it hopes to have a new mayor named Thursday night.

In the interim, it was announced that City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem James McMahan will serve as mayor.

Sun won the mayoral election as a write-in candidate in 2011 and promised to rid the small town of allegedly rampant corruption.

However, the state supreme court ruled that Sun violated his oath of office by trying to use the police department as his own personal force, and by jeopardizing the city’s liability insurance when he failed to fill vacant department positions.

"The past 18 months have been a very trying and divisive time for our small community," McMahan said in a statement. "It is time for our community tocome together, mend itself, and move forward. With the appointment of a new mayor Thursday evening, and the celebration of our community with Pacific Days this weekend, I hope today can mark the beginning of a new approach in Pacific - one that is inclusive, positive and selfless."

"I would also like to thank Cy Sun. Many can criticize his actions (and his inaction) as mayor of Pacific, and for good reason. While it is fair to criticize a public official for actions taken in the scope of public duties, we must also keep in mind that Mr. Sun was willing to do what most are not – participate in his government. He was a resident of Pacific who thought he saw something wrong with his government and he chose to do something about it," McMahan said.

"The city of Pacific has been to the brink of disaster, and less than half of Pacific’s registered voters participated in this election. Cy Sun was not only willing to pick up his ballot and cast a vote – he was willing to put himself in the public’s eye and face immense criticism for what he believed was right. More people ought to have that kind of courage in their convictions."