Tacoma announces finalists for city manager. Here’s who is on the list
Tacoma’s interim city manager is among the top two candidates in the running to serve as the city’s permanent city manager.
Hyun Kim, who took on the interim role last June, and an individual identified in a news release as Yolanda Lewis are the two finalists for the position. No further information was released about Lewis.
Tacoma’s city manager plays an integral role in the city’s council-manager form of government, in which elected council members appoint a city manager to serve as a city’s chief executive officer and head of the city’s administrative branch.
Tacoma residents can meet the two candidates when they deliver presentations on their qualifications and vision for the role on Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome, according to the city. City council members will also lead a question-and-answer session at the event.
The salary range for the position is listed as $309,566 to $376,500 on the city’s website. Kim currently earns $309,566, according to his employment agreement. His predecessor, Elizabeth Pauli, who retired last July after almost a decade on the job, was earning the same amount when she retired.
The new city manager could start in the role by April or May of this year, according to the city. Officials kicked off the search for Pauli’s replacement in 2025 and former mayor Victoria Woodards hoped to have a permanent city manager in place ahead of the city’s budgeting process that will start this year, she said late last year. The search process will cost the city about $70,000 to $75,000, The News Tribune previously reported.
