A search firm is helping the City of Mountlake Terrace find a new city manager, but the city isn’t paying for it.
The firm – Colin Baenziger &Associates – had conducted the 2013 search that led to the City’s hiring of Arlene Fisher. That search had a guarantee of providing a free recruitment service if the incumbent did not stay for at least two years.
Fisher, hired in 2014, resigned in 2015 in lieu of termination.
The Mountlake Terrace City Council decided Jan. 14 to use the firm again, partially because of the firm’s guarantee.
Since Fisher’s resignation, assistant City Manager Scott Hugill has been the interim city manager.
Hugill also was interim city manager after longtime City Manager John Caulfield resigned in the summer of 2013. He wasn’t a candidate in the search to replace Caulfield and hasn’t said whether he would be a candidate now.
Mountlake Terrace has a council-manager form of government, in which the seven elected part-time city council members appoint a full-time professional city manager as the city’s chief executive officer. The council elects one of its members to have the title of mayor while presiding over council meetings and carrying out ceremonial duties.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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