Council picks 3 finalists for Pasco city manager job. Meet the candidates
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- Pasco City Council selected three finalists for the city manager position.
- Candidates include officials from Oregon and North Dakota.
- Pasco will host a public event for residents to meet the candidates on July 13.
Pasco is one step closer to finding a new city manager.
The Pasco City Council voted Monday on three finalists for another round of interviews. Two candidates work in Oregon and one is based in North Dakota.
The city is hosting a event so residents and community leaders can meet the candidates on July 13 at 7 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center in Pasco, 2525 N 20th Ave.
The finalists will interview on July 14.
Pasco hired GMP Consultants to provide leadership services while it looks for a permanent replacement for the position.
Interim City Manager Dave Zabell was hired in February to fill in after former City Manager Adam Lincoln resigned to take over as the Port of Pasco executive director. Zabell was Pasco’s city manager for eight years before he retired in October 2022. He joined GMP in retirement.
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.
The next city manager is expected to make between $230,000 to $295,000, based on their qualifications and salary negotiations.
Meet the candidates
Harold Stewart
Stewart is the current city manager in Minot, N.D. He’s worked there since December 2020.
He has held city manager positions with the city of Ogallala, Neb., Knoxville, Iowa and Warrensburg, Mo. and began his public service career with Douglas County in Kansas in 2005.
Stewart earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of Kansas.
According to an article published in The News Tribune, Stewart was recently named one of five finalists for the city manager position in Lakewood, Wash., the second largest city in Pierce County.
Dave Stockdale
Stockdale is the city manager in Umatilla, Ore., where he’s worked since October 2018.
He was the former city administrator in Prosser from 2016-2018. He was asked to resign after an investigation showed he avoided paying about $361 in Washington state sales tax — chiefly when purchasing diapers at the Kennewick Costco.
He has more than two decades of public service experience, with 18 years serving communities throughout Oregon.
He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University – Hawaii, as well as a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Not-for-Profit Management Certificate from the University of Oregon.
Eric Swanson
Swanson is the city manager in Phoenix, Ore. He’s worked for the city since April 2020.
He has more than 35 years of experience in local government management. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of South Dakota.
He retired from the U.S. Air Force, in 2017, after 30 years of service.
This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
