Mayor Carl Florea of Leavenworth was elected to the board of directors of the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) at the association’s annual conference, which was held in Spokane on June 20-23, 2023.
“I am both honored and humbled to be elected to the board of the Association of Washington Cities,” said Mayor Florea. “This is an association which is so effective in working for the interests of cities across our state, and I look forward to sharing the passion and commitment I bring to my position as mayor of Leavenworth to the broader collaborative efforts of this great network.”
The AWC board of directors is the association’s governing body. The board is comprised of 25 directors, 23 of whom are mayors or city councilmembers from Washington cities or towns, and two non-elected city officials who also serve as the president and past president of the Washington City/County Management Association. Mayor Florea was elected to represent District 3, which includes all the cities in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties.
Carl Florea was elected Mayor of Leavenworth in 2019 and took office in January 2020. He also served on the Leavenworth City Council from 1998-2003 and from 2005-2007. His longtime involvement in the Leavenworth community includes serving on the Cascade School District board of directors from 1987-1991 and on the Leavenworth Planning Commission from 1996-1998.
Mayor Florea raised his family in Leavenworth. He and his wife Debbie moved to Leavenworth when their oldest child was in first grade and their youngest was just two days old. All three of their children graduated from the Cascade School District.
Mayor Florea has a passion for social justice and assisting those who have no political or economic voice in society. He also has a passion for ensuring that Leavenworth is a community where everyone can live and raise their families. Mayor Florea was a founding board member of the Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition and has served on the board for the Housing Authority of Chelan County.
“Mayor Florea has been an active and engaged member of AWC and a strong advocate for the policies that matter to the residents of Leavenworth,” said AWC CEO Deanna Dawson. “He was an influential member of the AWC Housing Solutions Group, where he advocated for solutions to address the unique workforce housing needs of Leavenworth. Mayor Florea’s election to the AWC board will allow him to have an even stronger voice on the issues that impact Leavenworth.”
AWC serves its members through advocacy, education, and services. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that represents Washington's cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and with regulatory agencies. Membership is voluntary. However, AWC consistently maintains 100% participation from Washington’s 281 cities and towns.
AWC also provides training, data and publications, and programs such as the AWC Employee Benefit Trust, AWC Risk Management Service Agency, AWC Workers’ Comp Retro, AWC Drug and Alcohol Consortium, and AWC GIS Consortium.
A complete list of AWC Board of Directors is available on the association’s website.