Dave Zabell retired from Pasco City Hall to travel, be a grandpa. Now, he’s back
Heeee’s back!
Dave Zabell is returning to Pasco as the interim city manager, succeeding his successor a little over two years after he retired from the job.
Zabell steps in Feb. 1, one day after the departure of Adam Lincoln. The city exercised an early release clause after Lincoln accepted the position of executive director of the Port of Pasco.
It hired GMP Consultants to provide leadership services while it looks for a permanent replacement. GMP didn’t have to look far for the right person.
Zabell was Pasco’s city manager for 10 years before he retired in October 2022, saying he looked forward to family time, attending grandchildren’s events and traveling the U.S.
In retirement, Zabell moved to Yakima and joined GMP, providing city consulting services in the Yakima Valley. Notably, he was assigned to serve as Yakima’s interim city manager in January 2024. He held the role until the city hired Vicki Baker as its permanent replacement in July.
Pasco is paying GMP an hourly rate of $175, plus mileage and hotel expenses, for Zabell’s services, based on an annual salary of $336,700. Lincoln’s original base salary was $218,000.
Mayor Pete Serrano said the move ensured “continuity of service and stability” for the city during the transition from one city manager to the next.
Prior to his first retirement, Zabell spent more than four decades in city leadership. He moved to Pasco in 2014 to succeed Gary Crutchfield, who held the role for 30 years.
A navy veteran, Zabell came to Pasco from Fife. His resume included leadership posts in the cities of Yakima, Bothell and Marysville
Zabell was newly installed in the job when Pasco was rocked by the February 2015 shooting death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes by three Pasco police officers. The officers were cleared of wrongdoing, but the episode led to large protests and significant changes to the city’s policing strategies.
Latino officials credited Zabell with ensuring community members were heard throughout the process.
Zabell is also credited with focusing Pasco’s energy on upgrading its infrastructure to keep up with the city’s explosive population growth. It currently has more than 81,000 residents, census figures show.