LFP's Interim City Administrator Bob Jean Aims for Smooth Transition

Lake Forest Park’s interim city administrator Bob Jean, who started Nov. 4, is looking to serve the city during a transition period to a new City Council and mayor before they hire a permanent replacement.

Jean, who retired as a city manager after serving in University Place for 15 years between other West Coast and Puget Sound cities, most recently was in Gillette, Wyoming filling in on interim basis.

“It’s a lot warmer than Gillette,” said Jean, who is in his early 60s, of Lake Forest Park.

Jean got a call from Mayor Dave Hutchinson who he served on the Association of Washington Cities board with after former city administrator David Cline told Hutchinson he was going to take the city manager’s job in Tukwila.

Jean said Hutchinson asked him to focus on three things, the transition to a new City Council and mayor, managing the city under a tight budget and tough economy and helping in the recruitment of a new city administrator.

Jean said he’ll be in Lake Forest Park until March if needed but if a new city administrator is hired sooner he’ll turn it over to him or her sooner.

Meanwhile the contract with interim finance director Steve Nolen, may be extended at this Thursday’s Council meeting, Jean said.

“There’s a lot of moving parts going on right now that in of itself is a challenge,” Jean said.  “The staff has remarkably good morale given the cuts that have been made the last couple of years, cuts that are typical, LFP is no different with 20-30 percent cuts.

It’s a lot more than belt tightening these days, we’re having serious conversations about service levels.”

The staff “is inch-deep and a mile-wide,” he said, “covering a lot of ground with a limited number of employees.”

Jean said he’s met all of the Councilmembers and was particularly impressed with their involvement in regional government issues, making sure LFP has been represented at the regional and state level.

The mayoral and Council elections show more demands for change from the voters with Mary Jane Goss, Jeff Johnson and Tom French, comfortably in front right now. The political committee LFP Gov Watch endorsed those three candidates and criticized veteran Councilmembers Dwight Thompson and Ed Sterner, who ran for mayor and Council respectively Tuesday, for voting to put the levy lid lift Prop. 1 on the ballot in Aug. 2010.

“I’d like to touch base with folks in Gov. Watch,” Jean said. “I have no real dog in this fight. I’d like to find the areas of common ground and help the Council move forward and find ways to work through those conflicts.”