Fortuna City Councilmember Jerry King Resigns, Cites Concerns Over Selection Process

Fortuna City Councilmember Jerry King has resigned, citing concerns about how the council filled a recent vacancy. King, elected in November 2024, hand-delivered his resignation letter on March 12—just two days after a special election was held to fill another open seat.

His resignation follows the departure of former councilmember Kris Mobley, who stepped down in January, shortly before an FBI investigation led to fraud charges against him. To fill Mobley’s seat, the Fortuna City Council held a special meeting on March 10 and appointed Carlos Diaz, a longtime Fortuna resident and firefighter. However, King expressed dissatisfaction with the process.

“I am discontent with the selection process of the council person to fill the vacant seat,” King wrote in his resignation letter. “To me, it appeared that there were unethical actions of other council members during the voting process, something that I cannot support or ignore as a council member.”

While King did not provide specific allegations, his frustration seemed to stem from how the final decision was made.

The selection process was split. Councilmembers Tami Trent and Kyle Conley chose Diaz as their top pick. Diaz, who works as a lead systems analyst in the financial aid department at Cal Poly Humboldt, emphasized his experience in budgeting and contract evaluation, as well as his commitment to the Fortuna community. Meanwhile, Mayor Mike Johnson and King supported Michael Kein, a planning commission chair who has lived in Fortuna since 2018. Kein spoke about his focus on housing and city funding, highlighting what he saw as opportunities for sustainable growth.

When the first round of voting resulted in a tie, councilmembers were asked to pick a second choice. King selected Diaz as his second choice candidate, while Conley picked Arlene Spiers, a former city council candidate. Mayor Johnson also chose Diaz after a brief hesitation by Trent. Eventually Trent voted for Spiers as her second choice pick. With Kein receiving no votes in the second round, Diaz secured the appointment and was sworn in via Zoom. The council then unanimously approved his appointment.

Despite King’s claims of “unethical actions,” Fortuna City Manager Amy Nilsen defended the process, calling it “very transparent.” She explained that all applications were submitted and posted online alongside the meeting agenda for public review. “[Councilmembers] are supposed to evaluate the applications and the interview and make their decision after the interview,” she said.

Nilsen also addressed how the tie was resolved. “We had equal points, and we asked for their second choice, and that’s when the tie was broken,” she clarified. When asked about King’s concerns, she stated that she was unaware of any unethical behavior and suggested speaking directly with him about his reasons for resigning.

With King’s resignation, the Fortuna City Council must now decide how to fill another vacant seat. Nilsen outlined the next steps, saying the March 17 meeting agenda will include a report on how to proceed.

“The council will have three options,” she explained. “They can appoint somebody immediately, hold a special election, or—what I recommend—follow the same application and interview process.”

If the council follows the application process again, interested candidates will have from March 18 to April 18 to apply, with a deadline of May 11 to fill the seat.

As Fortuna’s city government works through this latest shake-up, the community will be watching closely to see how the council chooses to move forward.