Late Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 6, 2024, the two finalist candidates vying to be selected as SeaTac’s new City Manager met with residents, spoke and answered questions at SeaTac City Hall.
Twenty-eight candidates applied for the position, and their applications were reviewed by search firm GMP Consultants in September.
Guests at the reception were able to talk directly with the finalists, and were encouraged to provide feedback and comments on each and submit them to the city.
The two finalists were:
- William Appleton, who has over 27 years of public service that began in the Army Corps of Engineers where he served as a Project Manager. He spent several years in the private and public sectors doing Engineering work. He has spent the last eight years as the Public Works Director for the City of SeaTac. Prior to coming to SeaTac, he worked with the City of Federal Way for over 12 years holding multiple positions, including: Engineering Review Manager, Surface Water Manager and Deputy Public Works Director. Mr. Appleton has both a Master and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.
- Jonathan Young, who has approximately 16 years of public sector experience, primarily in Washington municipal law. For the past five years, he has served as City Attorney of Vancouver, WA. Before that, Mr. Young worked as the City Division Chief of Vancouver’s Law Department and as an Assistant City Attorney. Prior to coming to the City of Vancouver, he served as the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Benton County, WA. Mr. Young holds a Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting. He is also a member of the International City Management Association.
The Council will interview both on Thursday, Nov. 7, and is expected to select the winning candidate in mid-November.
Video
Here’s a list of questions that were asked of the finalists at the end of the reception:
- Supporting Minority-Owned Businesses
“How would you, as City Manager, continue to support and expand efforts to boost visibility and economic opportunities for minority-owned food businesses in SeaTac to ensure they thrive and contribute to our community’s diversity?” - Management and Accountability
“What does each of the following mean to you: down-up management, accountability, and employee satisfaction?” - Educating the City Council
“As City Manager, do you think you have a responsibility to coach or educate the Council on issues they will vote on, so they are familiar with all aspects of an issue before they vote? If yes, why? If no, why?” - Conflict Resolution Approach
“In everyday life, there is conflict. What is your practice in conflict resolution? Has there been a time that you could have resolved an issue differently? Please elaborate.” - Top Challenges Facing SeaTac
“What are the three most important challenges that you think the City—not just the City Manager, but the City—will need to address in the next 18 months?”
Below is video of the event, as filmed/edited by Scott Schaefer (running time 43-minutes, 31-seconds):
There are seven council seats – curious to know why there were only five questions…