Following a community reception last night and a round of interviews today, the Yakima City Council voted unanimously to offer the Yakima city manager position to Cliff Moore, who is currently the Thurston County Manager.
Moore has been Thurston County manager since 2013. His executive experience also includes serving as director of Thurston County’s Department of Resource Stewardship (2009-2013) and director of Thurston County’s WSU Cooperative Extension office (2004-2009).
The finalist pool also included current Othello City Administrator Wade Farris, Mike Jackson, who most recently served as Spokane Valley’s city manager, and Ruth Osuna, who is currently an assistant city manager in Brownsville, Texas.
The four finalists were first introduced to the community during a reception last night at the Yakima Convention Center in the lobby outside the South Ballroom. Earlier today, the finalists were interviewed individually by both the City Council and by a seven-member community panel chosen by Council members.
Through its action today, the Council directed the mayor, interim city manager, and interim city attorney to begin negotiations with Moore. The advertised salary range for the Yakima city manager position was $165,000 to $190,000.
In January of this year, the City Council launched a process to find a replacement for Tony O’Rourke, who served as Yakima city manager from July 2012 through December 2015. From a total of 20 applicants, The Prothman Company, the executive search firm hired by the Council to recruit city manager candidates, presented the Yakima Council with a pool of eight semi-finalists. During an April 25th executive session, the City Council reviewed the semi-finalist pool and selected the four finalists during its May 3rd business meeting.