City hires interim manager

Published 12:49 pm Wednesday, January 6, 2016

The City Council heard a recommendation at its Jan. 4 meeting to hire a former Development Services Director as Mercer Island’s interim city manager, until a full-time replacement can be found.

The candidate, Steve Lancaster, served as city administrator for Tukwila before retiring. If approved by the Council, his hiring would be effective Jan. 12.

Based on a unanimous 7-0 Council vote at the Jan. 4 meeting, Lancaster will temporarily replace outgoing City Manager Noel Treat, who resigned in December 2015 to take a position with the Seattle School District.

A subcommittee formed in December to find Treat’s replacement received and reviewed the resumes of seven potential candidates interested in the interim position. There were no internal candidates interested in the interim or permanent position.

Lancaster has a long history in public service, having spent 12 years as Tukwila’s Community Development Director, two and a half years (2007-2009) at Mercer Island and three years as Tukwila’s City Administrator, essentially the city manager role in a strong mayor form of government.

Earlier in his career, he worked for the cities of Auburn and Puyallup.

“While we were disappointed to have to refill this position, we were thrilled with the quality of applicants, and are very pleased to welcome Steve back to Mercer Island,” Mayor Bruce Bassett said in a statement.

In the coming months, the city will select a recruitment agency that will help locate candidates to permanently fill the city manager position, according to a city press release. The process is expected to conclude by June 2016.

Lancaster will be paid $4,400 per week, or a salary of about $228,000 per year, though the interim position is for five and a half months.