After having interviewed four finalists for the Yakima city manager position today, the Yakima City Council voted to enter into negotiations with Robert Harrison.
Yesterday, the candidates were interviewed by a panel of seven community members and a panel of seven senior City staff members.
The finalist pool included Harrison, who most recently served as the chief administrative officer for the City of Renton, Dave Zabell, who is currently the city manager in Pasco, current City of Paso Robles, California Public Works Director Dick McKinley, and current City of Yakima Interim City Manager Alex Meyerhoff.
Harrison was Renton’s chief administrative officer from 2018 until May of this year. Before that, he was the city administrator in Issaquah (2010-2018), city manager in Wyoming, Ohio, city administrator/clerk/treasurer in Mosinee, Wisconsin (1996-1998), and assistant to the city administrator in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (1995-1996).
The City Council, with assistance from the City’s Human Resources Department, will now conduct a background check of Harrison while also negotiating with him on a potential contract.
In April of this year, the City Council approved a competitive process to find a replacement for Cliff Moore, who served as Yakima city manager from July 2016 through August 2019. From a total of 39 applicants, the City’s Human Resources staff presented the Council with a pool of 13 semi-finalists. During a June 22nd special meeting, the City Council reviewed the semi-finalist pool and selected the finalists.