Gig Harbor’s newest City Council member continues dad’s 36-year legacy of public service

Gig Harbor’s newest council member said he’s hoped to serve on the council for years.

Reid Ekberg, 43, was sworn in to fill the vacant seat left by Mary Barber at the City Council’s special meeting Thursday evening. The small business owner was born and raised in Gig Harbor.

When he first considered serving, Ekberg asked his father for advice, he told the council. His father, Steve, served on the City Council beginning in 1974, The Peninsula Gateway reported. The Kitsap Sun reported that he received a standing ovation when he left the council in 2017, having served for a total of 36 years.

His father told him “it was a very rewarding experience,” Ekberg said. “But just make sure it was the right time for me to do it.”

A few years ago, his kids were little and his business was growing, he told the council Dec. 12, but “now” feels like the right time.

Barber’s seat became open after she was appointed to serve as mayor Nov. 21. Tracie Markley resigned from her position as mayor Nov. 18 to focus on caring for her family, The News Tribune reported.

Commissioner Ekberg will serve in Position 4 until the seat is filled upon certification of the November 2025 election results, according to a city news release.

There were 14 applicants who submitted statements to the City Council in hopes of being appointed to Barber’s seat, according to the Dec. 12 special meeting agenda.

Per council procedure, each applicant was given three minutes to introduce themselves and their qualifications. Council members then selected four applicants each by paper ballot and the four with the most votes were invited to move onto an interview stage in an open forum.

The four applicants interviewed were Reid Ekberg, Emily Stone, Julie Martin and Stephen McDuffie. Council members asked each applicant the same nine questions about their qualifications, issues facing the city, preparation to work with city staff and other council members and plans to listen to Gig Harbor residents in making decisions, among other topics.

All four said yes when asked if they’re considering running in the next City Council election.

After the City Council convened an executive session to discuss the candidates’ qualifications, they returned to make their final nominations and cast votes for their preferred candidate. Ekberg was selected by a majority vote — a minimum of four votes — and was sworn in by Mayor Mary Barber.

Council members Ben Coronado, Jeni Woock, Seth Storset and Le Rodenberg voted for Ekberg. Council member Roger Henderson voted for Emily Stone. Council member Brenda Lykins voted for Julie Martin.

The Gig Harbor resident serves as president of Pilkey Hopping & Ekberg, a Tacoma-based insurance agency. The business was founded by his great-grandfather in 1896, according to his application for the vacancy.

He believes his small business background will give him an edge in helping manage the city’s budget, he told the council and The News Tribune in an interview.

“The city’s budget is a lot larger than my little budget, but I think some of the good principles will still transfer,” he said.

Asked for some of the issues he sees facing the city, Ekberg told The News Tribune they include “good stewardship of (the city’s) finances, . . . economic vitality downtown, housing availability for all types of people to make sure that we have an inclusive community, and preserving the wonderful character that is Gig Harbor.”

Ekberg is active in the Gig Harbor community, where he spent his “childhood boating and biking around town, visiting the old bowling alley, and watching movies at (the city’s) three-screen theater,” he wrote in his application. He graduated from Gig Harbor High School and bought a home with his wife, Carrianne, on Peacock Hill in 2010, where they’ve raised their two kids. Carrianne serves as the executive director of the Gig Harbor Waterfront Alliance.

Ekberg also serves as an advisory board member for the Gig Harbor YMCA and the Gig Harbor BoatShop, according to his application.

He told The News Tribune his local government experience includes serving for two terms on the Gig Harbor Planning Commission, beginning around 2012. The News Tribune reported that his term ended in 2019.

“I’m very excited to serve in the position,” Reid Ekberg told The News Tribune after he took the oath of office. “There was a great pool of candidates . . . I look forward to the challenges of stepping up to this job and serving the people of the Gig Harbor community.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to state the length of Commissioner Reid Ekberg’s appointed term, and how each council member voted for the appointee.