Get to know the six finalists for the newly created position of county manager at a series of open house meetings, May 13, on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan islands. (find bios of each, in brief, below).
Islanders will have an opportunity to talk with the six county manger finalists at the series of open houses, billed as an “informal setting”, and provide feedback about each to the recruiting agency conducting the job search on behalf of the County Council as well.
The meetings are hosted by the county council, which is expected to make a hiring decision as early as May 14.
The three council members elected April 23 will be sworn into office May 14, and are slated to conduct in-depth interviews with the five finalists later that day, and will receive input about the candidates from panels made up of members of the community and representatives of the county staff.
Open House schedule:
— Orcas: 10-11 a.m., Eastsound Fire Station
— Lopez: 1:30-2:30 p.m., Lopez Community Center
— San Juan: 6:30-7:30 p.m., in the lobby of the County Courthouse.
For more information about the recruitment process and events, contact county Human Resources, (360) 370.7403.
Kerry Burns: interim assistant city manager/community services director for the City of San Bruno, California. Prior to that she was the assistant city manager for the City of Daly City, Calif., 2007-2012. During her 25-year career in public service in California, Burns has also served the City of San José Fire Department as deputy director-administrative services, the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department as administration manager, the City of Union City as redevelopment agency manager, the City of Fremont as special assistant public administration degree, both from the University of Southern California.
Jim Pascale: a resident of Hopewell, N.J., was most recently township administrator for Princeton Township, N. J., where he served in that position for 30 years. Early in his career, he was also administrator for Mahwah Township, N. J., for four years. Pascale has a bachelor of arts degree in social studies and a master of public administration degree, both from Rutgers University, N.J. Michael Pence: county administrator for Flathead County, Mont., for the past eight years. He has more than 32 years of city and county management experience and has been city administrator for Kemmerer, Wyo., city manager for Ocean Shores, Wash., vita administrator for Sibley, Iowa, auditor for Hardin County, Iowa, and deputy auditor for Grundy County, Iowa. Pence was also commercial development manager for the Quinault Land & Timber Enterprise, Ocean Shores, Wash., for five years. He has a bachelor of arts degree in business management from Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa.
Michael Pence: county administrator for Flathead County, Mont., for the past eight years. He has more than 32 years of city and county management experience and has been city administrator for Kemmerer, Wyo., city manager for Ocean Shores, Wash., vita administrator for Sibley, Iowa, auditor for Hardin County, Iowa, and deputy auditor for Grundy County, Iowa. Pence was also commercial development manager for the Quinault Land & Timber Enterprise, Ocean Shores, Wash., for five years. He has a bachelor of arts degree in business management from Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa.
Suzanne Sinclair: a resident of Seneca Falls, N.Y., is senior capital projects accountant for Finger Lakes Health, Geneva, N.Y. Prior to that, she was county manager for Seneca County, N. Y., from 2008-2011. Sinclair was Island County (Wash.) auditor for 10 years and served as accounting supervisor for the county’s Public Works Department prior to becoming auditor. Early in her career, she also worked for Edwards & Associates, CPAs, in Freeland, Wash., for almost 10 years. Sinclair has a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Central Washington University, Lynnwood, and a bachelor of arts degree in history from DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.
Michael Thomas: city administrator for the City of Enumclaw, Wash., for over three years. Prior to that he served the city as community & economic development director for five years. Thomas has 24 years of experience in local government in Washington and he has been a senior policy analyst for the King County Executive’s Office-Office of Management & Budget, senior planner for the cities of Burien and Federal Way, and he was assistant director of Planning & Economic Development for the City of Aberdeen. He has a bachelor of arts degree in geography from the University of Washington and a master of public administration degree from Seattle University.
David Wilbrecht: is a resident of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., and was most recently town manager for that community where he was hired to deal with the town’s financial crisis and potential bankruptcy due to a lawsuit. Prior to that, he was county administrative officer for Mono County, Calif., for eight years, and he was also director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services for Mammoth Lakes from 2000-2003. Wilbrecht has 18 years of local government experience in Washington, including deputy director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services for the City of Federal Way and parks division manager for the City of Redmond. Early in his career, he also worked for the City of Auburn and for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and Planning Department. Wilbrecht has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Central Washington University and a master of public administration degree from Seattle University.
