His family is currently making arrangements and planning his memorial service. Due to his long service and legacy in the community and the region, it will take time to put a proper memorial together. According to his family, a memorial will not be held until after the New Year and the city will coordinate with the Smith family to plan any recognition of his contributions to the community.
A memorial fund in Jerry’s name is in the process of being set up. In the meantime, folks should feel free to drop off cards at the Interim City Hall at 6100 219th Street SW, Suite 200, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043.
Smith leaves a legacy in the community after taking office in January of 2002 and serving as Mayor since 2004. He was the longest-tenured Mayor in the city’s history.
Highlights include adoption of the 2007 Town Center Plan and Mayor Smith’s relentless leadership testifying at Sound Transit Board meetings to extend light rail into Snohomish County. Mayor Smith travelled to Olympia and Washington, D.C. on many occasions to work with the state and federal delegations that resulted in over $20 million in funding to Mountlake Terrace.
A veteran of the United States Army, Smith lived a life of service that included 18 years with the Seattle Police Department and a multitude of regional intergovernmental boards most notably SNOCOM 911 Board, Snohomish County Emergency Radio System (SERS) Board, Lake Ballinger Watershed Forum, Community Transit Board of Directors and Evergreen State Fair Board, chairing many of them.
Jerry Smith and his wife of 56 years, Judi, founded Tour de Terrace in 1993 to help establish community pride and celebrate the city’s 40th anniversary in 1994. The Smith family continues to plan and coordinate the three day-long summer Seafair festival each July. Additionally, Jerry, Judi and the Tour de Terrace volunteers began the Tree Lighting Ceremony and continue to serve cookies, cocoa and coffee to this day.
Mayor Smith is also well-known for his service to the young and the old having been MTYAA Youth Soccer President for 25 years and one of the founding members of the Mountlake Terrace Seniors Group. Mayor Smith was regularly seen in the gym at Mountlake Terrace High School boys’ basketball games to watch the team under Coach Nalin Sood, his long-time friend Vic Sood’s son who grew up playing soccer with Jerry’s son Scott Smith.
For more information, contact City Manager Scott Hugill at (425) 744-6208.
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