Moses Lake's next city manager:

Friend of business, community or city employees?

In a demanding position like that of Moses Lake's city manager, it is clear juggling peoples' demands, priorities and tasks are vital to the position's success.

City officials are in the middle of picking a new city manager after the departure of longtime employee Joe Gavinski.

A public meeting was held this week so the city's search firm could share details of the search process. Finding candidates and narrowing the pool to the final list will take some time. A new city manager should be working in late October or early November, according to a Wednesday Columbia Basin Herald article.

We are happy the city's search firm and city council held the public meeting to hear residents' input.

According to comments provided at the meeting, city residents are seeking a manager who has a variety of qualities, including experience with lakefront restoration, who is not using the position as a "stepping stone" to another city manager position or related field, who can work well with surrounding municipalities, who engages with the business community, and who creates a culture at the city that is customer-service oriented.

We agree the above qualities are important and certainly hope candidates are found who will work for the wages offered (a range of $120,000 to $150,000) and want to live in our rural area. The new manager will also walk into an organization that experienced change and chaos earlier this year with Gavinski's exit. There will likely be some fences to mend and relationships to build on the part of the city council and city as a whole.

On a positive note, Moses Lake has a lot to offer, with its relaxed lifestyle and plethora of recreational opportunities. The city's charm and affordable cost of living attracted people who might have otherwise not picked our town for a home. Moses Lake has a way of growing on people.

We encourage residents, city officials and candidates to look at the whole picture during the search process. The perfect situation or candidate doesn't exist, but what's important is the ability to work together to achieve the city's goals.

- Editorial Board