Mayor Has New Way To Run Town Post Falls Close To Deal That Would Make Hammond City Administrator
Except for the formalities, Mayor Jim Hammond appears to have his new job as city administrator of Post Falls wrapped up and ready to go for fall.
Hammond, mayor of Post Falls since 1991, resigned as principal of East Farms Elementary School in the Spokane Valley last week.
“He tendered his resignation with the understanding that he would become the city manager for Post Falls,” said East Valley Schools Superintendent Chuck Stocker.
“It was a career change he’d been looking at for some time,” said Stocker. “Nobody knows that city better than he does.”
Hammond is on a sister-city tour in Germany and could not be reached for comment. He worked at Spokane Valley schools for 15 years and earned $61,500 a year.
Scott Grant, president of the Post Falls City Council, confirmed that about all that’s left in hiring Hammond is a signature or two. “We just have to make the final arrangements and the final agreement,” Grant said.
“It’s something we’ve been discussing and I’m very much in favor of.”
Post Falls Councilman Clay Larkin also is enthusiastic about Hammond as city administrator.
“It’s in the best interest of the city to have somebody local, that is qualified, respected and knows everybody who works with the city,” Larkin said, versus an outsider “who would take a considerable amount of time getting up to speed.”
The council was discussing how much it wanted somebody local and Hammond said he would like the job, Larkin said.
“The council said ‘Give us a proposal,’ and he did and we are considering it,” Larkin said.
A formal decision is expected by early August.
Hammond was a councilman for a decade before he became mayor. If hired, he would replace John Hendrickson, who earned about $64,000 as Post Falls administrator.
Hendrickson resigned in early June, the second city administrator to leave in less than five years.
Grant, meanwhile, wants to follow Hammond into the mayor’s chair - at least for the remaining 18 months of his term. The council will make that appointment.
, DataTimes MEMO: Cut in the Spokane edition
The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Ken Olsen Staff writer Staff writer Marny Lombard contributed to this report.
The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Ken Olsen Staff writer Staff writer Marny Lombard contributed to this report.