City administrator says he is leaving his position. What’s next for Gig Harbor?
Gig Harbor city administrator Bob Larson has said he is going to be leaving his position sometime in mid-July. Larson made the announcement in a special city council meeting on Thursday.
“I want to inform you that I’ve decided to retire from my position after working full-time in city management,” Larson said. “My reasons are entirely personal. I’ve reached the stage in my life when I must consider my family, my personal interests, and my health over my career.”
Larson has been the Gig Harbor city administrator since he took over on January 9, 2020. Prior to that, he served as the city administrator for Snoqualmie for 16 years.
He will be the fourth city administrator to leave the city during the single term of outgoing Mayor Kit Kuhn.
Larson told the council he had been talking with Kuhn to ensure there would be a “smooth transition” to whoever would take the soon to be vacant position.
Larson said he had told the mayor that his departure date was “flexible” so that he could work with whoever is chosen as interim city manager.
As for his future plans, Larson told the council he will be sticking around the Gig Harbor area and expressed an interest in continuing public service work by volunteering.
“My wife and I, we want to stay here. We love the community, we want to become volunteers,” Larson said. “I want to become a strong member of this great community. We love it here and we’re looking forward to a hopefully long, healthy retirement into our golden years so to speak.”
Reached by The Gateway on Friday, Larson declined to elaborate on his decision or his future plans.
“Everyone has to do what’s right for them,” Kuhn said in the Thursday meeting. “On behalf of the city, we thank Bob for all that he has done here and wish him the best as well as his family.”
Kuhn said because he is not seeking reelection for mayor, it “doesn’t make sense” to hire a permanent replacement as that will be up to the new city administration.
Council member Tracie Markley, who has announced she is running to succeed Kuhn, expressed sadness over Larson’s departure.
“Just sad, but I’m glad to know you’re going to do what is best for you and your family,” Markley said. “I thank you for everything that you have done up until this point, we’re sorry to see you go.”
With Larson’s departure, Gig Harbor has now gone through four different city administrators since 2018. Temporary city administrator Tony Piasecki was given the role in 2018 and replaced Ron Williams, who was fired by Kuhn after his election.
Piasecki was subsequently replaced by Wade Farris later that year. Farris would resign the next year following an investigation into his treatment of women employees.
When Larson made his announcement, council member Jeni Woock could be heard expressing dismay under her breath over the video call.
“I was hoping that he would stay and we would see what happened next year,” Woock said. “He had been doing this job for thirty some years and he was worn out.”
Woock is going to be participating in interviews with new candidates starting next week.
“I have an interview with two candidates on Monday,” Woock said. “I have no idea anything about them.”
The city has also seen the recent departures of Amy Hilland, an associate planner, and Amy Londgren, a civil engineering technician.
The city also recently posted a job opening for a finance technician, saying it would begin screening applicants for the vacant position starting the week of May 10.
The city had considered hiring an outside consultant to address employee morale, though the council put the idea on pause and instead said a committee would consider the path forward.
The Gateway had previously reported in July that 20 employees had left the city over concerns raised in a survey about working conditions. That number is now approaching 40 following the recent additional departures.
This story was originally published May 7, 2021 at 11:30 AM.
