Mill Creek city manager on paid leave pending firing

MILL CREEK — The City Council intends to fire the city manager here but won’t say why. City Manager Ken Armstrong says he doesn’t know, either.

The council put Armstrong on paid leave Tuesday. It intends to fire him at the end of December.

The vote was unanimous, with all seven council members present, according to a news release issued by the city on Wednesday.

The resolution that removes Armstrong from the city’s top job states that the city attorney will draft a separation agreement.

Armstrong was placed on paid leave through Dec. 30 after a two-hour executive session Tuesday to discuss his job performance. The council then voted in public session. Finance Director Landy Manuel was appointed acting city manager. Until the end of the year, Armstrong will draw a $144,200-a-year salary.

In an interview late Wednesday, Armstrong said the council did not give him a reason for the firing or raise any concerns about his job performance.

“It was a very one-sided process,” Armstrong said. “I was hurt by the lack of communication.”

Mayor Pam Pruitt would not discuss the council’s decision, citing consideration of Armstrong’s privacy. She said she does not expect Armstrong’s departure to affect city budgeting. A public hearing on Mill Creek’s two-year budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Armstrong said he has had some disagreements with the mayor and City Councilman Mark Harmsworth, who resigned Tuesday evening, effective Dec. 31. Harmsworth is on his way to the state House of Representatives.

Armstrong speculates that friction related to things he has written for publications and planning for the city’s biennial budget may have played roles in his firing.

Harmsworth said he could not comment on the circumstances that led to Armstrong’s firing due to privacy concerns. He was the head of a committee that interviewed city staff and council members about Armstrong’s job performance, but Wednesday he declined to share the results.

City Councilman Mike Todd also declined to comment on Armstrong’s termination except to say he felt it was a “tough day” for Mill Creek. City Councilwoman Donna Michelson echoed that sentiment.

“I’m personally very sorry the relationship between the city and Mr. Armstrong didn’t work out,” she said.

Armstrong started as city manager in December 2012. He previously worked for Seattle Public Utilities and served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Before the city manager can be terminated, state law requires the council to give Armstrong at least 30 days to request a public hearing. If he asks for a hearing, the council will have to take further action to remove him from the job.

Otherwise, Armstrong’s termination is effective Dec. 30. He said he has not decided whether he will request a hearing.

Armstrong’s employment contract calls for severance pay. He will get three months of salary, minus his time on paid leave.

As acting city manager, Manuel will be paid a 10 percent premium on his $116,556-a-year salary until a new city manager is named.

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.