Wilkeson Mayor Peloli resigns
Published 1:30 am Monday, June 15, 2026
The town of Wilkeson’s mayor suddenly resigned on June 11.
In a letter, former Mayor Jayme Peloli announced her immediate resignation posted to Facebook.
“The decision was made after careful consideration,” reads a letter posted to the Town of Wilkeson’s social media page. “Serving as Mayor of the town I was raised and generations of my family has lived-has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
Peloli’s time as mayor is marked by her advocacy for the town after the Carbon River/Fairfax bridge was permanently closed in April 2025. This had immediate economic effect on the town, as tourism to Mount Rainier’s Mowich lake – only accessible via the bridge – dried up practically overnight.
For her advocacy and use of public records to reveal deferred maintenance on the bridge, leading to the failure, she received two awards from the Washington Coalition for Open Government at its annual Sunshine Breakfast earlier this year.
“I remain deeply committed to the Town of Wilkeson and look forward to continuing to serve its future through advocacy and collaboration,” Peloli’s letter continued. “… It has been an honor to serve as Mayor, and I am profoundly grateful for the trust and partnership of this community.”
In a later email interview, Peloli clarified that her resignation was directly tied to creating a clearer separation between her roles as an elected official and her community advocacy.
“This transition allows me to dedicate more focused time and energy to executing projects, coordinating funding efforts, and building the partnerships necessary to move these initiatives forward,” she said.
Instead of being mayor, she will now serve as a Government Relations Consultant for Wilkeson, “focused on advancing transportation, infrastructure, access, funding coordination, and long term resiliency efforts throughout Wilkeson and the broader Carbon Canyon area.”
In light of her resignation, the town of Wilkeson is voted to appoint Council member Travis Waldher to fill the role until the 2027 general election.
With him in the executive seat, his former council position must be filled. Members of the Wilkeson community can send a letter of interest to the council to apply for the seat; the deadline is June 30, with an expected appointment on July 8.
Email clerk@townofwilkeson.com to apply or request additional information.
BRIDGE NEWS
Prior to her resignation, Peloli announced that WSDOT is moving forward with an application to the federal Bridge Investment Program for up to $100 million to replace the 103-year-old structure.
The BIP funds projects to rehabilitate, preserve, or protect a bridge on the National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
The BIP application is due at the end of June, WSDOT said, and awards will be announced in the fall. If this project application is approved, the money would go toward replacing the bridge.
