Scott Thomas interviewing for Ketchikan city job

Town Administrator Scott Thomas is one of five finalists for the top managerial post in Ketchikan, Alaska, the Weekly News learned on Monday.

Thomas, an attorney who for more than two decades has served as city attorney for four cities in Washington state, succeeded John Doyle as La Conner’s chief administrator in January 2018.

He is interviewing for the dual jobs of city administrator and general manager of the southeast Alaska community’s publicly owned utility, according to Ketchikan radio station KRBD. It posted the city’s news release on its website.

The finalists will visit Ketchikan and field questions during a public forum this week, with a question-and-answer session on Friday.

Thomas stressed Tuesday that it is still early in the process.

“No offer has been made,” he told the Weekly News. “And if an offer is made, there’s no assurance at this point that it would be a good fit.”

What appeals to Thomas, though, is that in Ketchikan he would be responsible for administering a wide range of departments and services with a couple hundred staff members.

“They have police, fire, streets and parks,” he noted, “plus sewer and water, stormwater and telecom utilities. They also own their own hospital. The point is they are a very broad government operation. I’ve been doing local government for a long time and done all those things but never all at the same time. So, I like that level of responsibility.”

On the other hand, Thomas has enjoyed his time in La Conner and said leaving would not be easy.

“I really like it here,” he said. “I like the community. I like the people I work with. There would be a lot of balancing to do.”

Mayor Ramon Hayes was reluctant Monday evening to offer extensive comment on the situation, saying it was premature to weigh in on it at length, other than to confirm he knew Thomas had applied for the position in Ketchikan and would be missed if hired there.

“He has been an asset,” Hayes said of Thomas, noting his legal background. “But we’ve always encouraged our staff to seek advancement if that’s their wish. We realize that people move on.”

As Town Administrator, Thomas has managed and coordinated activities and functions of Town officers, departments, commissions and boards. During his tenure, La Conner weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and Thomas has been credited with helping develop a more robust budget while enhancing relationships with Shelter Bay and other Skagit County governmental entities.

Ketchikan, home to 9,000 residents, has a population 10 times that of La Conner and is the sixth-most populous city in Alaska. Located on Revillagigedo Island, it is on the shore of what is referred to as the Inside Passage, a popular cruise route along the state’s southeastern coast.

Like La Conner, Ketchikan has a downtown historic preservation district and is noted for its embrace of Native American culture and traditions. The city boasts the world’s largest collection of standing totem poles, sited throughout Ketchikan and at public parks and the community’s heritage center.

Other finalists for the Ketchikan job are William Appleton, public works director for SeaTac, home to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; Mark Freitag, a former U.S. Army colonel and the city manager the past nine years in Janesville, Wisconsin;; Paul Dyal, who at present leads the municipal government and public utility in Lake City, Florida; and Delilah Walsh, the former manager of New Mexico’s Socorro County and now utilities director for the City of Las Cruces, which includes the campus of New Mexico State University.

A City Hall position is opening: Town Office Assistant Danielle Freiberger is taking a planning department position with the City of Mount Vernon, Thomas announced to the town council in his July 7 report.