One of fastest growing WA cities hires 2nd new city manager in 2 years
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- Pasco City Council selected Harold Stewart as Pasco city manager.
- Stewart brings 12 years of city management experience in four states.
- He is expected to make $255,000.
After a five-month search for a permanent city manager, the Pasco City Council voted Monday to hire the city manager in Minot, N.D.
Harold Stewart has been city manager there since December 2020. Minot is a city of about 48,000.
He’ll start working in Pasco on or before Oct. 1. His last day at the city of Minot is Sept. 19.
“I think the city will be really well-served. The individual we’ve selected will really benefit (the council’s) vision,” Mayor Pete Serrano said at Monday’s council meeting.
Serrano told the Tri-City Herald that Stewart led Minot through “significant change and growth” and made difficult staffing decisions as city manager.
Minot was one of the larger cities compared to where other candidates had worked, and has an oil and gas economy.
He said it seemed Stewart would start contributing from day one and hit the ground running.
Stewart 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. He has 12 years of experience in city management.
He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in public administration from the University of Kansas. He is expected to make $255,000.
“I’m honored to have been selected to serve the residents of Pasco,” Stewart said in a news release.
“I was deeply impressed by the city’s vision, the pride of its staff, and the energy in the community. I look forward to getting started and working together to support the city council’s priorities and the needs of Pasco’s diverse neighborhoods.”
City manager search
Stewart was one of three finalists named by the council earlier this month. They participated in a public meet-and-greet event July 13 and had final interviews on July 14.
Pasco hired GMP Consultants to provide leadership services while it looked for a permanent replacement for the position. The city also hired GMP Consultants for recruiting and a nationwide search.
There were 60 applicants for the position and the council considered about 12 qualified candidates.
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 after retiring.
Pasco has been 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.
Stewart will oversee the day-to-day operations of 500 employees for the town of about 81,000.
This story was originally published July 21, 2025 at 9:04 PM.
