Town still planning to hire planner

There was little doubt Town Planner Marianne Manville-Ailles would be hard to replace.

Just how much so became quite apparent Sunday when her designated successor, veteran planner Kevin Cricchio, informed Town Administrator Scott Thomas that he was withdrawing from the position here.

Cricchio, also planning director for the Town of Concrete, had been the choice to succeed Manville-Ailles, who is transitioning to a position with the City of Mount Vernon after three years in La Conner.

“It’s unfortunate,” Thomas said Monday of Cricchio’s sudden withdrawal, “because he was so well qualified.”

Cricchio has served various planning roles across Washington state during the past two decades, in both rural and urban settings and for private firms and government entities.

A U.S. Navy veteran, Cricchio attended the Town Planning Commission Zoom meeting last week and worked at Town Hall on Thursday afternoon.

Thomas said Cricchio, who resides in Bellingham, indicated that the health status of a family member and travel time involved in serving both Concrete and La Conner, which are separated by 35 miles, were key factors in his decision to step down.

“I think he felt that right now that would be taking on too much,” said Thomas.

The next step for the Town is to reach out to the two other finalists who applied for the position when Manville-Ailles announced late last year she was leaving for Mount Vernon.

“They have a lot of experience in planning,” Thomas said of the other candidates. “They have backgrounds in short-term planning, which is projects, and long-range planning.

“Of course,” added Thomas, “there’s no guarantee that they will still be available.”

Fortunately, Manville-Ailles had previously told Mount Vernon officials that she would complete projects in La Conner at least through the end of February.

“That hasn’t changed,” Thomas said.

There is no date set to formally fill the post.

“It’s too early to commit to a timetable,” said Thomas, “but we’re pretty motivated.”

Cricchio did participate in a wide-ranging Planning Commission session that included a discussion of Museum of Northwest Art downtown design and acquisition plans and proposed changes to Town density standards.

Cricchio, who majored in planning and environmental policy at Western Washington University and is near completion of a master’s program at Oregon State University, told panel members that he was “looking forward to working with you all.”

Cricchio had served as a senior environmental planner with Snohomish County in 2020. He was a senior planner and project manager in Anacortes for six years before that.