REVIEW BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
THE SWEETEST SOUND: Lady sings the blue(grass). A10
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012 | Vol. 112, No. 16 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢
Council taps Smith to lead city hall as interim manager BY RICHARD D. OXLEY Bainbridge Island Review
With wide support, and considerable debate, an unexpected development stunned the council chambers Wednesday as Morgan Smith was suddenly voted in as the city’s interim city manager. The topic occupied the council’s discussion for more than an hour as they went back to square one on the issue of the interim city manager, opting not to hire Michael Caldwell, the previous top pick for the job. Smith promised she would do her best in the temporary position. “I will continue to do what I have been doing, not just in the last five
weeks, but in the year-and-a-half since I got here, which is working as hard as I can to make this a successful city,” Smith said. “I live here too, and I intend to live here for a long time,” she said. The choice was supported outside and inside city hall. Council members had been lobbied by citizens in the community to hire Caldwell, but city staff also sent the council their own letter — signed by 18 employees — asking them to choose Smith instead. “There is an old Arab proverb that goes ‘Be sure to keep your camels watered, for it is they who you must depend on to get you through the desert,’” the letter begins.
“Your city staff is your camel, and we would like to make a small request of you.” The employees said Smith, who has been serving as acting city manager since former manager Brenda Bauer was fired by the council in March, should step in as the interim city manager. She has the qualifications, city employees said, and their faith. The letter also reminded the council of the stress that staff has endured in recent years; numerous mayors, city managers and attorneys, three rounds of layoffs and working under an old union contract. “Please give us the stability of our SEE SMITH, A18
Brian Kelly / Bainbridge Island Review
Acting City Manager Morgan Smith listens as interim manager candidate Michael Caldwell addresses the council last week.
THE FINAL FOUR:
Candidates line up for vacant seat on fire board
Teri Dettmer
Dan Morrow
BY BRIAN KELLY Bainbridge Island Review
The pool of applicants isn’t as deep as a week ago, but Bainbridge Island Fire Commissioners will still face a tough choice in picking a new board member. Commissioners met last week to interview four candidates for a vacant seat on the board: Teri Dettmer, Dan Morrow, Meghan McKnight and Paul Topper. Three candidates — William Biscomb, James Lagdon and Greg Millerd — removed themselves from consideration before the start of the commissioners’ meeting. Even so, fire department officials were excited about the number of volunteers who stepped forward to serve. “It’s a pretty cool turnout for seven people to apply for a position,” said Fire Commissioner Glen Tyrrell. “But four is still a strong showing,” he said. “It’s very exciting to see this many candidates. It’s very encouraging,” added Fire Commissioner
Paul Topper Meghan McKnight
Paul Bang-Knudsen. Candidates for the vacant seat were given 10 minutes each to talk about their view of the role of a fire commissioner and their thoughts on the department’s priorities, but most kept their comments concise. The aspirants stuck to similar themes, such as making sure firefighters have the resources and training they need to do their job,
engaging the community, strengthening partnerships with other agencies and being vigilant on the use of taxpayers dollars. Detmer, a 17-year Bainbridge Island resident and former attorney, pledged to be a strong advocate for the department. “I think probably the numberone role of a commissioner would be to make sure that the depart-
ment has all of the resources it needs to do its job,” Dettmer said. Officials must be capable stewards of the public trust and resources they are given, she said. “I think we all recognize that things are changing. The demographics on the island are changing. Families’ resources are changing. And there are less taxpayer dollars,” Detmer said.
Coordination and collaboration with other departments is crucial. And she also stressed the importance of the volunteer firefighters, who provide not only service but a strong community connection. “I think it makes for a vital fire department to have a good, strong volunteer firefighter staff.” SEE CANDIDATES, A16