By Pepper Fisher

SEQUIM – Former Sequim City Councilor Mike Pence passed away earlier this month.

Pence was appointed to the council in April of 2020 to fill the position vacated by the passing of Councilor Ted Miller and served the remainder of that term.

Pence had a degree in Political Science and spent most of his career serving communities in Missouri and Oklahoma before retiring and moving to Sequim.

His time on the Sequim Council was not without controversy. In March of 2021 he was suspected of padding his resume when he claimed to have been the Director of Public Works for the city of Liberty, Missouri from 1988 to 2009. At least one of his former colleagues, Steven Hansen, claimed he held that position during those years. We spoke to Pence at the time and asked him about the discrepancy.

“Then when I was hired by the City of Liberty in 1988, my title, so to speak, I was Director of Utilities and Community Maintenance, which is the same thing. It could be looked as misleading. I put down my highest qualifications for that time period. Now, it wouldn’t make any difference if I went from director of whatever to street sweeper. Why would you list street sweeper? That’s how I look at it. That, you know, what’s that going to do for you in life?”

Pence maintained his innocence to the end and no disciplinary action was seen as necessary by the Council.

At Monday’s council meeting, Mayor Tom Ferrell and former Mayor William Armacost said a few words about the passing of Mike Pence.

“When Zoom hit and Covid hit, it was very difficult to get to know councilors. And so, the few occasions I met with him were quite spirited. And when I observed him on Zoom, the one thing, I will say, it was quite clear what he felt about a situation, and I really admire that in people.”  “I’d like to say a couple words about Mike. He was a incredibly fair and very intellectual individual. His whole life was dedicated to service. He was a son of a City Manager. He grew up serving citizens.”