Newsletter - Fall 2024

President's Message

Greetings, WCMA Members! As the season turns to fall, I hope you all are progressing smoothly through your budget process!

We had a wonderful summer conference in Wenatchee this year. Our conference planning team did an amazing job putting together a fantastic conference! Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck provided a humorous and insightful keynote address regarding finding Common Ground for the Common Good. Board Member John Mauro followed with a complementary presentation on Seeding (not Ceding) Common Ground. We also had very timely sessions on the Manager’s Role in Community Leadership, Controlling the Narrative and disarming the rumor mill, Artificial Intelligence, and negotiating contracts and exiting gracefully when transition becomes appropriate. My sincere appreciation to Past President Stephanie Lucash, Incoming President Laura Philpot, and Vice President Katrina Knutson; Board members John Mauro, Leslie Harris, and Tyler Christian; as well as Katie Johnston, and the team from MRSC for the time, talent, and effort they provided in planning this year’s conference. Mark your calendars for next year’s summer conference, August 12-15, 2025 in Walla Walla!

We will also be hosting the 2025 Northwest Regional Managers Conference at the Vancouver, WA Hilton from March 18-21, 2025. Yes, that means the WCMA Board has two conferences to plan this upcoming year. If you’d like to volunteer to help plan one or both of these conferences, please contact Katrina Knutson.

At this year’s conference, we also welcomed new board members Bristol Ellington (Shoreline City Manager), Elizabeth Chamberlain (Walla Walla City Manager), Heidi Behrends Cerniwey (Ellensburg City Manager), Amy Buckler (Centralia Deputy City Manager), and Scott MacColl (Shoreline City Manager). I would like to warmly welcome these new board members, and thank them sincerely for stepping forward to serve! I would also like to acknowledge Stephanie Lucash, Laura Philpot, and John Mauro for serving on this year’s nominating committee.

The WCMA Board will gather in Selah on Friday, November 8 for our annual Board Retreat. Given the number of new board members, and members in their first term, we will be focusing a great deal of the day on board goals and priorities. Goals and priorities that were identified at last year’s retreat include regional board responsibilities, membership value and communications, emerging leaders, and the WCMA/AWC partnership. At the August board meeting, we also approved an Affiliate Agreement with the International Network of Asian Public Administrators (I-NAPA), and will be identifying next steps in that partnership.

As I write this message on October 25, the Northwest Women’s Leadership Academy (NWWLA) held their annual retreat today with the members of Cohort 6. While this year’s cohort is underway, I urge all members to think about women and nonbinary individuals in your city or county who would be good candidates for the Academy’s Cohort 7, and to encourage them to apply when registration opens next spring. Your endorsement and support can make all the difference!

As I bring my first President’s Message to a close, I would like to take one more opportunity to recognize Tracy Burrows, MRSC Executive Director and WCMA Executive Coordinator. Tracy has served as MRSC Executive Director for over 13 years, and the support of WCMA by her and the MRSC has been invaluable. While we wish Tracy a much-deserved Happy Retirement, we welcome her successor, Melanie Harding. Melanie comes to MRSC from the City of Tacoma, where she served most recently as Interim Deputy City Manager, and previously served in roles including Assistant to the City Manager, Chief Policy Analyst to the Mayor, and Employment Standards Program Manager. Prior to Tacoma, Melanie served in a variety of roles with the City of Puyallup, and has over 20 years of local government experience. On behalf of the WCMA Board, I welcome Melanie to her new role!

In conclusion, I want to take the opportunity to encourage all members to utilize the resources of your WCMA Board. This profession is not for the faint of heart, and we are all here to support each other. If you have a question, or an idea, feel free to reach out to a board member or members. We are also working on establishing a formal mentorship program, and I encourage all members to seek a mentor, if you don’t already have one. I regularly rely on the advice, insights, and encouragement of multiple mentors. We’re here to support each other! Feel free to contact me anytime – Rich.Huebner@selahwa.gov, or (509) 379-1262.

Rich Huebner

President

Leadership Transitions

Congratulations to these individuals who’ve recently been appointed to top manager or administrator positions in the following communities:

Vicky Baker started work as the City of Yakima City Manager in August. Vicki is a former Yakima County commissioner and recently served as the deputy director of the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments. She is a long-time local business owner and previously operated a public relations firm. Her top priorities include a balanced budget, public safety, economic development and infrastructure improvements.

Katherine Caffrey has been selected as the new Des Moines City Manager. She is slated to start in her new position on November 1. Katherine has over 20 years of municipal experience, most recently as the Deputy City Manager for the City of Cedar Park, Texas. She is a proven leader in public-private partnerships, redevelopment, and management of high-functioning teams. Katherine earned her MPA degree at the University of Kansas.

Diane Carlson was recently named the Bellevue City Manager. Diane had been the Acting City Manager since last December. Prior to that, she was Bellevue’s Deputy City Manager. She posed on LinkedIn: Thanks to the Bellevue Council for placing trust in me to continue in the Bellevue city manager position. The Council has established a great vision for this city, which I’ve been proud to call home since 2000. I’m excited to keep bringing my energy and leadership to work with our community and our outstanding leaders and staff to achieve it. I appreciate all of the support I have received in the acting role. I’m looking forward to the opportunities ahead to continue making Bellevue a great place to live, work, visit and have a business.

Sabrina Combs was appointed as Oak Harbor’s new City Administrator in May. Sabrina first joined Oak Harbor in 2020 as the city’s public information officer and had been serving most recently as the interim city administrator. Prior to Oak Harbor, Sabrina spent 12 years working in Bothell’s public works and city manager offices. During this time, she received her master’s degree in strategic communications from Washington State University.

Stacy Denham started as the Chehalis City Manager in June. He has over 30 years of law enforcement experience. He has been with the Centralia Police Department since 2006 when he started as a police officer and progressed through the ranks, serving as a sergeant, commander and deputy chief, and he has been chief of police since 2020. Prior to joining the Centralia Police Department, he was a police officer for Chehalis from 1994 to 2006. Denham has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and public administration from Liberty University and an associate's degree in criminal justice from Centralia College. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Rhonda Ender was appointed the Carnation City Manager in September. Rhonda began working for Carnation in 2023 as head of the community economic development department, where she spearheaded initiatives that contributed to the economic resiliency of the city. She then accepted the role of deputy city manager in January 2024 and acted as interim city manager since July. Rhonda’s goals include improving infrastructure and parks and creating new community gathering spaces, while focusing on sustainability and supporting the nonprofits and businesses in the area.

Dan Ford was appointed as the Toppenish City Manager this summer. He was previously the city’s Assistant City Manager. Dan has worked as the Pasco City Engineer and Benton County Public Works Director. He also has over 15 years of experience in the design, review and development of public works projects with the City of Yakima.

Mike Gonzalez  was named the Sunnyside City Manager. Mike also served as the economic development manager for Pasco and as the public relations/government affairs director for Franklin PUD. He was a reporter and anchor for several TV stations from 2002-20 in Missouri, Nebraska, Spokane, North Carolina, Kennewick, and Phoenix. He speaks Spanish.

Sam Kim has been appointed the first County Administrator for Gray’s Harbor County. Sam has an extensive background in both government and the private sector. He has held several senior executive positions in counties on the west coast, and most recently, as the Chief Information Officer with the Washington State Employment Security Department. His leadership experience is complemented by his time as a U.S. Navy officer and his service as a commissioned sheriff’s reserve deputy. He holds a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington.

Kris Swanson was promoted to the position of City Manager for the City of Battleground in July. She had served as the interim city manager since April.   She has previously served as the City Manager of Longview. She has been serving as the city’s Assistant City Manager and, prior to that, as Administrative Services Director. Kris has worked in public service for over 20 years, including positions with Longview as the Assistant City Manager and Administrative Services Director, and as the Cowlitz County Auditor. She also served as the Director for the Center for Government Innovation at the State Auditor’s Office from 2017-2020.

WCMA members were front and center at September’s ICMA national conference in Pittsburgh. Lon Pluckhahn, Vancouver City Manager, reflected on his tenure as the 2023-24 ICMA President in his presentation at the opening of the conference. Wally Bobkiewicz, Issaquah City Manager, won the ICMA Distinguished Service Award for Career Development in recognition of his commitment to mentoring and convening practitioners under the age of 40.  Stephanie Lucash won the 2024 Leadership Trailblazer Award presented by the League of Women in Government for her outstanding leadership and commitment to empowering women. Read more about her accomplishments here. John Mauro, Port Townsend City Manager, accepted the ICMA Community Sustainability Award for the city’s Financial Sustainability Initiative. Congratulations to these awesome leaders. Rock on Washington!

"The Three Envelopes" by Lynn Nordby

Early in my career, I heard the only actual city manager joke I can recall.

It tells the story of a young assistant about to accept his first position as a city manager. He meets with the former manager and asks him for some words of wisdom. His predecessor tells him not to worry; he’s left three numbered envelopes in the desk drawer. If you find yourself in trouble over some issue and don’t know where to turn, open envelope number one. If it happens again, remember number two and number three.

Sure enough, after the honeymoon period with the city council, an issue arises that the young manager doesn’t know how to handle. He’s beside himself with worry and thinks he’s going to lose his job when suddenly he remembers the envelopes. He opens number one and reads, Blame your predecessor. At the next council meeting, he reports that the whole mess is the fault of the previous city manager. The council agrees and everything goes forward smoothly until the next crisis looms.

Again the manager thinks he’s out of options and is starting to clean out his desk when he comes across the envelopes, now starting to yellow with age. Opening number two he reads one word, Reorganize.  At the next council meeting, he announces a bold plan to revamp the organization to meet the crisis. Brilliant, exclaims the council, and the manager’s career is back on track.

With experience of his own now, the manager expertly faces every challenge public service can throw at him until one day a new crisis looms that seems insurmountable. With confidence, he digs out the last envelope with the faded number three on it and reads, "Prepare three envelopes.

 I’d like to offer my own version of the three envelopes.

Envelope number one

Don’t blame anyone. Face the music. If a staff member has let you down and you’ve been called on the carpet by your boss or the city council, take it standing up. You only make yourself look small by blaming someone else, even your predecessor. I’ve witnessed people publicly blaming a clerk or subordinate when something’s gone wrong, and I believe it only made the supposed leader look bad.

It’s your duty to develop the organization to serve the community. If you’ve depended on someone and they’ve failed you, deal with it in private. Either they deserve your wrath and appropriate disposition, or not; but it’s your job to deal with their performance and the performance of the organization. A recent article in the Harvard Business Review discussed how to help employees feel respected and the benefits of a culture that values trust and concern for others.  

Obviously, false, malicious, and slanderous accusations leveled at you demand a different response, but I’m not talking about those.

Envelope number two

Everyone has their own style, and they often want to put their stamp on the organization; but, in my opinion, reorganization usually consumes more energy and resources than it returns in benefits. I believe that it is far better to involve the people within the organization and let them have a significant say in determining what fixes are necessary. The people on the front lines usually know exactly what it will take to improve your processes, the ones they deal with every day serving your community. I’ve successfully applied this principle myself, and I’ve had the satisfaction of reading author/consultant Ken Miller’s confirmation of the success of such principles in his books, We Don’t Make Widgets and Extreme Government Makeover.

Envelope number three

Ah, the irony of the punch line. What can I say? This has little to say about how you serve and more to do with how you take care of yourself and your family. When I began my career, employment agreements between the city and the manager were rare. Now they’re commonplace. It’s a quid pro quo; you’re committing to the community and the community is reciprocating by reducing the personal trauma of a professional parting of the ways.

The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has published guidelines for communities and managers going through a recruitment process, Recruitment Guidelines for Selecting a Local Government Administrator. These guidelines are extremely helpful to candidates and elected officials.   This should really be Envelope number one.  You deal with it first and then put it away for that, hopefully, far off day when it might be needed.

Finally, even if there is only one city manager joke, keep a sense of humor. It will help you keep a sense of perspective. Many years ago, I was working closely with our city attorney to resolve a rather difficult issue. I found a greeting card to give him that read, Someday we’ll look back on all this and . . . puke! It summed up the situation perfectly.

About Lynn Nordby

Lynn’s public sector career included over 30 years in local government management and experience in virtually all municipal services including the operations of a wide variety of municipal utilities. Lynn was also a Public Policy and Management consultant at MRSC for 10 years. He is now retired.

WCMA Accepting Applications for Senior Advisor

The Washington City/County Management Association (WCMA) is soliciting letters of interest for a Senior Advisor position from qualified applicants throughout the state. WCMA has a current vacancy in the Eastern Washington area, and applicants from this area are especially encouraged to apply. Others are encouraged to express interest at this time for consideration for future vacancies.

Senior Advisors must:

• Be a resident of Washington at the time of appointment.
• Have at least ten years’ experience as an appointed chief administrative officer (CAO) and/or an assistant/deputy CAO in local government.
• Have a willingness to actively participate in the program for the duration of the appointment.
• Have a commitment to follow the outline of responsibilities for Senior Advisors and the ICMA Senior Advisor Program Guidelines and Manual.
• Be a member of ICMA and the WCMA at time of appointment and to maintain such memberships during service as a Senior Advisor.
• Have an active phone number and email address.
• Not be engaged in consulting work that includes the responsibility for soliciting business or for client development/maintenance for purposes of future business.
  

Statements of interest can be submitted to Aimy Enriquez by email at aenriquez@mrsc.org and should include a resume and letter of interest. Applications are due by December 20, 2024.

For more information please visit ICMA’s Senior Advisor web page.

Upcoming Events

WSAC County Leaders Conference: November 19-21, 2024, Vancouver, WA
This annual conference brings over 300 elected and appointed leaders from Washington’s 39 counties for networking, skills development and collaborative learning.

AWC City Action Days: February 19-20, 2025,  Lacey
Held annually during the legislative session, this popular event allows you the opportunity to interact with colleagues as you educate statewide decision-makers about city issues.

NW Manager’s Conference: March 18-21, Vancouver, WA
Save the date for the NW Manager’s Conference for Washington and Oregon city and county managers. This year, WCMA is planning a solution-oriented conference addressing pressing challenges for local managers.