Kennewick council hires new manager to lead the largest city in the area
Kennewick has hired a city manager from a bit farther down the Columbia River.
The Kennewick City Council voted unanimously on a new city manager Tuesday night in a special meeting ahead of their regularly scheduled workshop.
Their choice for the role is Erin Erdman, according to contract documents included in the meeting agenda.
Erdman is currently the city manager for the city of Battle Ground in the Vancouver metro area. She will begin her new role in the Tri-Cities within 45 days with an annual salary of $230,000, according to the contract.
She also will receive a $500 per month vehicle allowance. The city will pay up to $10,000 in moving expenses and a monthly housing allowance of $3,500 for up to six months while she finds a permanent home in town.
About Erdman
Erdman was one of four finalists for the position. The others included Federal Way City Administrator Brian Davis, Sandpoint, Idaho City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton and former Kennewick Finance Director and Deputy City Manager Dan Legard.
Legard left the city last year, but returned this month to his former role as finance director.
Erdman has more 22 years of public service experience. In that time, she worked her way up as city planner for Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Government, permit center manager for the city of Vancouver and community development director for Battle Ground before moving into her current role as city manager.
She holds a bachelor’s in geography, specializing in urban planning, from Central Washington University.
The city paid about $24,000 for GMP Consultants to conduct the city manager search. The company also recently helped Pasco find its new city manager.
City Attorney Lisa Beaton has been serving as interim city manager since Marie Mosley retired at the end of 2023.
Mosley served Kennewick for more than two decades, first as finance director and then was promoted to city manager in 2011.
Beaton, who has helped the city navigate a significant amount of change and a high profile scandal involving former mayor Bill McKay, has not had a deputy city manager. It’s unclear if she intends to keep her role as deputy city manager after Erdman comes on board.
Kennewick has a council-manager government, with the council hiring the city manager to serve as the city’s executive.
She will lead the largest city in the Tri-Cities metro area, at a current estimated population of more than 86,000.
The city of Kennewick’s 2023-24 biennial budget is $425 million and has more than 420 employees. The city is in the process of ramping up new capital and strategic plans that will guide Kennewick’s path through the end of the decade.
This story was originally published March 26, 2024 at 5:15 PM.
