Ketchikan City Councilmember Jai Mahtani has resigned from his position on the council, effective immediately. Mahtani submitted a letter to the city clerk yesterday. The move comes just weeks after the state of Alaska announced he will have to pay a $10,000 settlement for misrepresenting products at his local jewelry store, Gold Rush.
Several council members and some community members have called on Mahtani to resign in recent weeks. At a council meeting June 18, the council directed staff to look into the circumstances of the lawsuit.
“I’m extremely disappointed in the council member’s actions and that they remain sitting here at the table,” councilmember Abby Bradberry said at the meeting. “It does reflect on our community, it reflects on the council, and it truly does not uphold the oath that we all take when we sit here.”
Mahtani has publicly apologized and said he takes full responsibility for untrue or misleading statements.
Mahtani has served on the city council since 2021 and was reelected in 2024. His term was set to end in 2027.
The council seat is now vacant, and any eligible citizen can apply to fill the seat by submitting a written application to the city clerk within the next week. The Ketchikan City Council meets again tomorrow night.
