Newsletter
WCMA News
April 2024
President’s Message
Happy Spring, WCMA members! I am halfway through my year as your WCMA President, and it has been a fantastic experience so far. As I write this message, I have just returned from Seaside, Oregon, where I attended the 2024 Northwest Regional Managers Conference. Here is a photo of me with OCCMA President Dan Huff as we closed out the conference together.
The Oregon team did a great job with the conference, which included sessions on Artificial Intelligence, mentorship and career development, tourism, camping ordinances, and other management and leadership topics. Torrential rain didn’t stop us from enjoying a guided beach tour at Haystack Rock (see photo of me and Martha Bennett below), but it did lead to cancellation of the annual Washington vs. Oregon volleyball game – we’ll take back the trophy next year, Oregon! 
The WCMA Board of Directors has been hard at work. There are a few board changes to report. Will Ibershof moved to Oregon, so Rich Huebner became Incoming President a year early, Laura Philpot was voted in as Vice President, and John Mauro was voted in as our newest board member.
I am thrilled to report that the new packaged memberships are a big success. Our membership is up 25% over last year’s annual total, and it is only April. Welcome to our new WCMA members - we are so happy to have you with us! Thank you to every member who is mentoring and growing other leaders in their organization and encouraging them to join the WCMA. Who are you mentoring?
I am excited to see the results of the first-ever Census of the Profession in Washington State. I appreciate everyone who participated in the census. We are partnering with Tripepi Smith as they compile the census results into a report which will be presented at the WCMA summer conference in Wenatchee, August 13-16, 2024. Mark your calendars now!
The conference committee is hard at work. The summer conference theme is Innovation and Disruption and it will be a terrific opportunity to learn together and network. I encourage you to bring your new Associate Member(s) with you to the conference. We are excited to announce that the Association of Washington Cities has agreed to be the WCMA’s first-ever Year-Long Sponsor. The AWC is an incredible partner and we look forward to helping our members learn more about the amazing resources, training, and support the AWC has to offer. We are also looking forward to hosting a delegation of Polish local government leaders at the conference and to introducing them to this wonderful community. If you are interested in helping out with the summer conference, please contact Rich Huebner or Laura Philpot.
Rich will also be chairing the WCMA’s upcoming 2024 Board Nominating Committee. The WCMA Board will have openings at both the Full Member and Associate Member levels this year. I encourage all WCMA members to consider running for a seat on the board. It is a very busy but fulfilling experience and is legacy work. Contact Rich Huebner if you are interested in running for a seat on the board.
We are partnering closely with the Evans School at the University of Washington on a couple of exciting projects. The first is a local government certificate program, which we hope to roll out in 2025. The 15-credit program would be a stand-alone certificate or could be parlayed into a Master of Public Administration degree; the target audience are up and coming local government leaders. The other UW collaboration is with a group of graduate students who are working on a capstone project to tell the value proposition of the Northwest Women’s Leadership Academy (NWWLA). The group is surveying all NWWLA graduates and conducting focus groups and interviews. They will share their findings and final report with the WCMA board at the summer conference in Wenatchee.
In other news, recruitment for NWWLA Cohort #6 will open on April 26 and close on May 27. Think about women and nonbinary individuals in your city or county who would be good candidates for the Academy and encourage them to apply. Your endorsement and support makes all the difference. Here is the NWWLA's 2024 recruitment page with more information.
Speaking of support, the first quarter of 2024 has brought transitions for several of our members. As WCMA President, I want every member in transition, or any member facing a challenging time, to know that I, and the rest of the WCMA community, are here to support you. This profession is not for the faint of heart, and these situations are difficult, but you are not alone. I would also direct any member facing a transition to the wonderful resources available through the International City/County Management Association’s Members in Transition Program. Please reach out to me at slucash@kenmorewa.gov or message me on LinkedIn. I am here for you and you will get through this.
Other board priorities include regional board responsibilities (contact is Eric Holmes), membership value and communications (contact is Leslie Harris) emerging leaders (contact is Rich Huebner), and the WCMA/AWC partnership (contacts are Laura Philpot and Deanna Dawson). Questions about the AWC Board and work should go to me and Kristi Rowland). The WCMA is also supporting the work of the Local Government Hispanic Network (contact is Maritza Davis) and the International Network of Asian Public Administrators (contacts are Senior Advisor Ray Corpuz and Bucoda Warren).
Here is a picture of the board at the October board retreat in Kenmore. You can meet all the WCMA board members and learn more on the WCMA web site. You can also keep in touch on our LinkedIn and Google groups. I have had fun visiting with various regional managers groups and would love to visit yours, too. Contact me to set something up! Thank you for all that you do. Contact me any time at slucash@kenmorewa.gov or 425-866-4749.
Stephanie Lucash
President
Leadership Transitions
Congratulations to these individuals who’ve recently been appointed to top manager or administrator positions in the following communities:
Keith Campbell is the City of Dupont’s new City Administrator. He was appointed in February to succeed Andy Takata, who is enjoying retirement. Keith has 17 years of local government experience. Most recently, he served as the City Manager of Sherwood, Oregon for two years. Prior to that, he was the City Manager of Stayton, Oregon from 2014-2021. Keith has a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Kansas.
Mike Chambliss was named the Snoqualmie City Administrator in October 2023. Mike acted as the the Interim City Administrator for six months prior to this formal appointment. Mike has 20 years of city management experience, 11 years of which were in senior management roles in Parks, Public Works, and Recreation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Sciences with a minor in Industrial Safety from San Jose State University.
Tyler Christian was appointed the City Administrator of Sultan in October 2023. From 2015 to October 2023, Tyler worked as a management analyst for the City of Monroe. Tyler is a WCMA Board member. He has a BA from Central Washington University and an MBA from Western Governors University.
Erin Erdman was appointed the Kennewick City Manager on March 26th. Erin has over 22 years of public service experience. Most recently, she’s served as the Battle Ground City Manager. She started her career as a planner for the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments and worked her way up to Permit Center Manager for Vancouver and Community Development Director for Battleground. Erin holds a Bachelors degree in Geography from Central Washington University.
Kevin Fuhr was appointed the Moses Lake City Manager in October 2023. Kevin is a retired Police Chief served as the Moses Lake Police Chief from 2016 - 2023. Kevin is dedicated to the Moses Lake community and serves on the Moses Lake District School Board.
Laura Gloria was appointed the Wenatchee City Administrator in October 2023. Laura has served Wenatchee in the Executive Services Director role since February of 2020 and formerly served as the Deputy City Manager in Fresno, California. She has nine years of public service experience and has led a variety of complex projects and initiatives. Laura earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fresno and is the first in her family to graduate college, first-generation Mexican immigrant and the first female City Administrator in the history of the City of Wenatchee.
Rich Huebner is Selah’s new City Administrator as of December 1st. Rich is a native of Selah and is WCMA’s Incoming President. Prior to taking on the City Administrator role, Rich was the Moses Lake Assistant City Manager. He received a bachelor's degree in communications and media studies from Washington State University. He also earned master’s and law degrees from Seattle University.
Resources for Fair Performance Evaluations of Local Government Managers
Performance evaluations can be a source of anxiety for any staff member, but especially for managers and administrators who are evaluated by elected officials. ICMA encourages periodic evaluations of local government managers based on criteria that have been communicated to the manager in advance. They recommend that managers work with their elected bodies to develop formal, mutually agreed upon processes for their own evaluations. Many managers and administrators prefer to have an outside facilitator coordinate the process to ensure a consistent, balanced approach.
Helpful resources include ICMA’s Manager Evaluations Handbook (member access) and sample evaluation processes on the MRSC website. The scope of manager evaluations may be limited to the evaluation, or it may include additional services such as identification of salary comparables or a total compensation package review. The performance evaluation itself may include all or many of the following elements:
- Initial Exec. Session meeting to go over the process and evaluation tool.
- Completion of a survey or evaluation form by the governing board members
- Completion a self-evaluation by the city manager
- One-on-one interviews with governing board members
- Other mutually agreed upon interviews or feedback mechanisms
- Analysis of the written submittals and interview results followed by preparation of a draft aggregate report
- Exec. Session meeting with the governing body to narrow down the issues to create a short list of strengths and improvement areas
- Final report and agreement on how the results will be communicated to the manager
Experienced facilitators for performance evaluations of local government managers include:
Ray Corpuz, WCMA Senior Advisor, raycorpuz@comcast.net
Andrew Neiditz, WCMA Senior Advisor, aneiditz@gmail.com
Jeff Swanson, Exigy Consulting, help@exigyconsulting.com, Jeff.swanson008@gmail.com
Jim Reid, The Falconer Group, jfalconerreid@comcast.net
Dave Mercier, Kenbrio, kenbrio3@gmail.com
Michael Pendleton, Pendleton Consulting LLC (based in Kingston), mpendleton@telebyte.com
If you are interested in helping to develop a set of recommended best practices for manager and administrator performance evaluations, contact David Cline at dclinewa@gmail.com.
Career Compass No. 106: Supporting a Colleague in Distress
As mental issues become more evident in our organizations, how do we reach out to a colleague experiencing distress and provide support, even if we have no training to help them? Click on the image to access the article.
WCMA Summer Conference – Save the Date!
Mark your calendars for this year’s summer conference, August 13th – 16th at the Wenatchee Convention Center. The conference planning team is putting together a great program with the theme of Innovation and Disruption. Plan for outstanding opportunities to learn about the innovative ideas your peers are initiating, network with friends and new colleagues, and enjoy social events that highlight the best of Wenatchee. Registration will open in June.