GRANITE FALLS — The mayoral selection went a little differently in Granite Falls this year.
Now that voters have changed the city’s government from a strong mayor to a council-manager form, the public no longer elects the mayor. Instead, the five-person Granite Falls City Council on Wednesday selected two of their own to serve as mayor and mayor pro-tem. Matt Hartman was chosen as mayor and Tom FitzGerald as mayor pro-tem.
The shift in the city’s type of government, approved by voters in November, also changes the mayor’s job. The mayor used to be in charge of the city’s daily operations. That work is being handed over to City Manager Brent Kirk, the former city administrator hired by the council to fill the new manager position.
As mayor, Hartman leads City Council meetings while keeping the same voting authority as any other council member. He’ll act as head of the city for ceremonies. In times of emergency, if the city manager is not available, the mayor is tasked with taking the reins to keep order, according to the updated job description.
In the past, the mayor voted on issues only as a tie-breaker. Now, a tied vote on a measure means it fails.
The mayor pro-tem takes on the mayor’s duties if he is absent or otherwise unable to do the job.
Hartman, 58, has been on the City Council for 16 years. He works as a freelance director of photography and has lived in Granite Falls since 1993. He’s a proponent of the council-manager form of government.
“What personally I hope I can do as mayor is make Granite Falls more visible,” he said. “I want to use the fact that we have a full-time person working as manager to get us out there more.”
He’d like to promote tourism along the Mountain Loop Highway and draw more people to businesses in town, he said. Another priority is landing industrial businesses that bring jobs to the area.
Mayor Pro-Tem FitzGerald, 47, was elected to the City Council in 2003. He’s lived in Granite Falls for 17 years.
He opposed the government change because he worried about the expense to a small city of paying for quality managers. He doesn’t want Granite Falls to become a stepping stone for inexperienced managers or longtime administrators on their way to retirement.
“With who we hired as city manager, I’m really comfortable,” he said. “My biggest concern isn’t for my term, it’s for the future when we have to replace him.”
In 2016, infrastructure is a focus for the council, he said. The city has money to work on roads and sidewalks and has formally supported an effort to pave the last 14 miles of the Mountain Loop Highway.
Hartman and FitzGerald said they want more people to come to City Council meetings, see how the city is run and weigh in on decisions. “Coming to council meetings and speaking their minds and telling us what they think, that’s how we know what they want,” Hartman said.
The Granite Falls City Council meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m. upstairs in City Hall, 206 S. Granite Ave. They hold work sessions on the second Wednesday of the month. Agendas are online at ci.granite-falls.wa.us.
Next week, the council plans to interview candidates for a vacancy left after former councilman Tom Collins stepped down.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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