Two new faces on county staff
Published 10:59 pm Thursday, November 29, 2007
EVERETT — A high-tech expert from King County Metro transit is joining Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon’s administration.
Larry Calter will be the top tech guy for Snohomish County starting Monday. He is leaving a job overseeing technology for the King County Metro transit system.
Calter will earn $144,646 a year. The county hired a recruiter for a national search that attracted 125 applicants, and Calter rose to the top, deputy county executive Mark Soine said.
“We were really looking for someone to help us invest in new technology to improve efficiency, save taxpayer dollars and improve services,” Soine said. “I think we found him.”
Calter previously worked for T-Mobile and Conversay Inc. in Bellevue.
In other changes, Reardon also hired Seattle Times reporter Christopher Schwarzen to be his new spokesman. Schwarzen reported on Snohomish County government, including Reardon’s recent re-election campaign. He begins Dec. 13.
Schwarzen replaces spokesman Veltry Johnson, who is no longer with the executive’s office, Reardon said. Johnson worked for Reardon for less than a year.
Reardon said he contacted Schwarzen, “and he accepted my invitation to join my administration.”
Schwarzen reported on county government for two years for the Times, writing about topics including Reardon’s office, budget proposals and programs. He has worked at the Times for five years and has 12 years experience as a reporter, according to a news release from Reardon’s office.
“He asks tough questions, is transparent and a man of integrity,” Reardon said. “I found that he shared the same passion that I do to serve the public.”
The job Schwarzen is stepping into answers media requests for information to make sure reporters have facts at their fingertips and gives critical feedback to the county executive, Reardon said. Schwarzen will earn $71,195 a year.
Reardon was re-elected in November.
As he prepares to enter his second term in office, Reardon said, he plans to keep his top three advisers in his administration. They are Soine, executive director Peter Camp, who advises Reardon on land use and planning, and executive director Deanna Dawson, who oversees law and justice issues.
