Kennewick to pay consulting firm $24,000 to help find its next city manager
After several closed door discussions about the path forward, Kennewick has decided how they’re going to replace longtime City Manager Marie Mosley when she retires at the end of the year.
The Tri-Cities native has spent 13 years as Kennewick’s top administrator and is capping off a four-decade career with her retirement on Dec. 31.
This week the Kennewick council voted to use search firm GMP Consultants to manage the process of finding Mosley’s successor.
GMP Consultants specializes in city and municipal executive searches. They recently led Pasco’s search for a new city manager, which ultimately went to former Deputy City Manager Adam Lincoln.
The city will pay GMP a fee of $24,000 plus reimburse for services such as creating a website, sending direct mailers, arranging for consultant travel and conducting background checks.
The process itself is expected to take about three months, putting the estimated final interviews and hiring selection the last week of December. Semifinalists would be reviewed and finalists announced in early December, according to the tentative schedule presented to the council this week.
As the leader of the largest city in the Tri-Cities metro area, at a current estimated population of more than 86,000, the next city manager will be stepping into big shoes.
The city of Kennewick’s 2023-2024 biennial budget is a staggering $425 million and has more than 420 employees. The city is in the process of finishing up capital and strategic plans that will guide Kennewick’s path through the end of the decade.
They’ll also be responsible for bringing the vision of Kennewick’s city council to life, which has in recent years become increasingly focused on development.
About Mosley
Mosley is a native of the Tri-Cities and her first job for the city was as an accountant for seven years. Then she worked for the cities of Renton and Federal Way.
She moved back to the Tri-Cities in 2001 to work as the finance manager for the city of Kennewick and then the support services executive director before being promoted to city manager.
Mosley was named the Kennewick Woman of the Year in 2019.
She was board chairwoman of the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties in 2014 and 2015 and was named the distinguished volunteer of the year in 2017.
She’s also been involved with Junior Achievement, her church, the Kennewick Police Foundation’s Community Cares Fund and the Tri-Cities Cancer Center.
Herald reporter Annette Cary contributed to this report.
