The Bothell City Council has named six finalists to compete for the city manager position. Four of the candidates are currently employed in Washington state and two of the candidates are out of state (Oregon and California).
The finalists are:
Marilynne M. Beard: Beard is the City of Kirkland’s deputy city manager, a position she has held since 2006. She has 34 years of management experience, including 18 years as the City of Kirkland’s finance director. She has a master of science degree in public administration from the University of Oregon and a bachelor of arts in education, also from the University of Oregon.
Paul L. Ellis, Jr.: Ellis serves as city administrator in Arlington, Wash., and has held that position since 2014. He has 13 years of management experience, including 10 years as assistant city administrator for the City of Arlington. Ellis has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Columbia College. He is also an ICMA-credentialed manager through the International City/County Management Association.
Kamuron D. Gurol: Gurol has served as city manager for the City of Burien since 2014 and brings 17 years of management experience, including 10 years in the City of Sammamish as assistant city manager and director of community development. Gurol has a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor of science in geological sciences from the University of Washington.
Jennifer Phillips: Phillips has served as city manager for St. Helena, Calif., since 2014 and brings 17 years of management experience, including as assistant city manager in Santa Rosa and Santa Monica, Calif. Phillips has a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor of science degree, both from California State University, Long Beach. She is also an ICMA-credentialed manager.
Jeffrey R. Towery: Towery is a consultant in the private sector and brings 24 years of management experience, including as assistant city manager for the City of Springfield, Ore., from 2007 to 2016. He has served as city manager for the cities of Auburn, N.Y., and Cottage Grove, Ore. Towery has a master of public administration degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Montana State University. He is also an ICMA-credentialed manager.
Peter Troedsson: Troedsson serves as assistant city manager at the City of Bothell, a position he has held since 2014. He has 16 years of management experience and retired as a captain from the U.S. Coast Guard after 30 years of service. He has a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Air War College, a master of public administration degree from George Washington University and a bachelor of arts degree in political science and Scandinavian languages from University of California at Los Angeles.
The council retained Slavin Management Consultants to lead the search for the new city manager. The firm received 37 responses to its extensive national search. Slavin vetted the applicants’ resumes and recommended 10 semifinalists for the council to consider. The council voted on which six candidates to move forward at its Nov. 1 meeting, but the names were withheld until they were contacted to ensure they were still interested in the position.
“I think we have a lot of candidates who are very qualified,” Councilmember Tom Agnew said at the Nov. 1 meeting. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the process.”
Next steps
Finalists will be invited to meet the public at an open house from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 18 at Bothell City Hall. Interviews will take place Nov. 19 during a special city council meeting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., also at city hall. The Nov. 19 meeting will begin and end with executive sessions; interviews are open for the public to observe.
The council has appointed panelists to conduct interviews Nov. 19. Councilmembers each nominated a citizen to the community panel, which will be facilitated by Kathie Oeser, senior management analyst. Interim City Manager Bob Jean made nominations for the staff panel, which Dean Perez, human resources director, will facilitate.
The community panelists are Allen Essensa, Leigh Henderson, Stewart Hill, Mark Lamb, Hugh Moag, Pat Parkhurst and David Vliet. The staff panelists are Interim City Attorney Paul Byrne, Police Chief Carol Cummings, Chad Davis of the Bothell Police Officers Guild, City Clerk Laura Hathaway, Public Works Director Erin Leonhart, IAFF Local 2099 Vice President Stephen Pasley, Finance Director Tami Schackman, Information Systems Manager Joe Sherman, AFSCME Local 3845 President Barry Tookey and Fire Chief Bob Van Horne.
