Six Finalists Selected for City of Shoreline Assistant City Manager Position

The Shoreline City Manager has selected six finalists to move to the final round of interviews for the assistant city manager position. City Manager Julie Underwood held the position before the City Council appointed her City Manager in January of this year.

The six finalists are: Charlie Bush, City Administrator for the City of Prosser; Christine Butterfield, Community Development Director for the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; David Cline, City Administrator for the City of Lake Forest Park; David Ellis, Assistant to the County Executive for Fairfax County, Virginia; Michael Sauerwein, Director of Administrative Services for the City of Sammamish; and Debbie Tarry, Director of Administrative Services for the City of Shoreline.

The Assistant City Manager reports directly to the City Manager and is a key member of the City’s Leadership Team, which is comprised of department directors. The Assistant provides assistance and support to the City Manager in the day to day operations of the City and serves as “acting” in the Manager’s absence.

The City received over 100 applications for the position. Of those, 16 were chosen to go through an initial phone interview. From the results of those interviews, the City Manager chose the six finalists.

The final interviews will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, May 11-12. Candidates will be interviewed by three separate panels made up of staff, the City’s Leadership Team and community members. In addition, the City Manager will meet individually with each candidate.

The community panel includes Rick Ashleman, Gloria Bryce, Tonya Drake, Marcia Harris, Carolyn Hope, Judy Parsons and Arthur Peach.

City Manager Julie Underwood states, “This is a key leadership position in the City. I am hopeful this process results in identifying an assistant city manager that will be an exceptional fit for our organization and community. I am grateful to everyone who participated in this process and I look forward to bringing a new assistant on board.”

It is anticipated that a new assistant city manager will be selected by late May.