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Sean P. Kelly elected Maple Valley mayor in 4-3 council vote; Didem Pierson named deputy mayor unanimously
Summary
At its Jan. 12 meeting, the Maple Valley City Council elected Sean P. Kelly mayor for the 2026–2027 term after a 4-3 voice vote and appointed Didem Pierson deputy mayor by a 7-0 vote. The council had swearing-in for three members earlier in the meeting.
Sean P. Kelly was elected mayor of Maple Valley by the City Council at its Jan. 12 regular meeting, winning a contested voice vote 4-3. The council then appointed Didem Pierson deputy mayor in a unanimous 7-0 vote.
City Clerk Andrew Dacuag read the council’s rules for nominating a mayor. Councilmember Didem Pierson nominated Victoria Schroff; Councilmember Dana Parnello nominated Sean P. Kelly. In the voice vote on Schroff, the minutes record three in favor (Syd Dawson, Didem Pierson and Victoria Schroff) and four opposed (Les Burberry, John Herbert, Sean P. Kelly and Dana Parnello). In the subsequent voice vote on Kelly, four voted in favor (Burberry, Herbert, Kelly and Parnello) and three opposed (Dawson, Pierson and Schroff), and the council appointed Kelly mayor for the 2026–2027 term. After resuming the chair, Mayor Kelly called for nominations for deputy mayor; Councilmember Schroff nominated Didem Pierson and the council voted 7-0 to appoint Pierson as deputy mayor.
The meeting earlier included the swearing-in of Councilmembers Dana Parnello, Didem Pierson and Victoria Schroff by Judge Risa Woo. The leadership votes concluded the council’s organizational business for the year and set the council’s leadership for the coming term.
Councilmembers commented later in the meeting on the voting process. Councilmember Parnello said he did not vote for Schroff but expressed support for her, and Deputy Mayor Pierson said the split in votes did not reflect personal relationships among members. Mayor Kelly closed the meeting at 8:58 p.m.; the council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2026.
