Wenatchee Mayor To Step Down After 12 Years
Wenatchee Mayor Frank Kuntz is stepping down at the end of the year. He announced he won’t seek re-election at Thursday night’s city council meeting.
Kuntz works as an accountant, and says it’s getting harder to hold two jobs. "It's just harder when You're 60," said Kuntz. "I'll turn 60 in April, and it's just more difficult at that age than it was when I was 48. I didn't have to sleep."
Mayor Kuntz has served as mayor of Wenatchee for more than 12 years. He says he doesn’t want to be known for any legacy project when he’s done.
"The last thing I want to do is say, 'Oh that was the mayor's legacy...A or B or C or D, right?," Kuntz said. "I want to see them all get done. I want to see Confluence Parkway done. I want to see Weidner building his town homes, or apartments down here. I want to see the convention center built."
Kuntz also says he’s looking forward to spending time with his granddaughter after his term is up.
"I've got a grand baby that I want to spend more time with," said Kuntz. "She's in Florida, and we've only seen her three times. She's two. I've got to do more than Facetime with papa, right? There's got to be more to it than that.
Kuntz says he appreciates the kind words people have been saying during his time in office.
"There were people who came up to me during my 12-years and thanked me, and said 'Hey, you're doing a good job...appreciate what you did.'" said Kuntz. "It's good. It makes me feel good that it was worth all the effort. It's time."
Kuntz’ term doesn’t officially end until later this year, so he’ll continue to oversee projects such as the Confluence Parkway and the Convention Center as mayor.