Our Towns: Joe Hannan busily moves into job as Mukilteo city administrator

Published 10:44 pm Sunday, January 6, 2008

MUKILTEO — Joe Hannan wanted to be busy when he took the job as Mukilteo’s new city administrator.

His wish has been granted.

Hannan, who started with the city in early November, faces several long-running city issues that may come to some resolution this year. The issues include the construction of a new City Hall, what to do with the Rosehill Community Center and how to preserve pedestrian access to the waterfront in Old Town.

As a history buff, Hannan — who previously worked as economic development director in Lakewood — sees this as an interesting time to live in Mukilteo. For him, it’s also an interesting time to be involved in the city’s government, he said.

Q: How have you liked your job so far?

Hannan: “I love it. All I have to do is look at all the projects and things going on, and that staff that’s here. Mukilteo is a fun place to be.”

Q: How well did the city cope with the December floods?

Hannan: “We did well, we survived it, people who need help were getting some assistance,” he said. The city opened its emergency operations center during the floods, and workers got valuable training for future disasters, he said.

Q: How would you describe your relationship with Mayor Joe Marine?

Hannan: “It’s great, otherwise I would not have come here,” he said. “I knew before I committed to come here. The same way the city does research on candidates, I did similar research on the city.”

Q: What do you like about living in Mukilteo?

Hannan: “The quality of life. Right now, on the water, there’s a lot of green space that’s still here,” he said. Hannan also admires the community’s appreciation of education and the arts. “When you have a community with those values that high on their lists, it permeates into everything else,” he said.

Q: Of all the issues facing the city, which do you find to be the most pressing?

Hannan: What to do with the Rosehill Community Center, and the city’s annexation plans, because “they’re big decisions that have to be made, but they have to be made in the next 60 days.”

Q: What is your goal for this job?

Hannan: “My goal is to help the rest of the people around here and the mayor and council do what they want to do.”

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.