01/06/2012

By CRAIG HOWARD
News Editor

On a night that seemed like a municipal reunion in Liberty Lake, newly elected Mayor Steve Peterson announced that he would bring back one of the administrative roles that defined the city in the years following incorporation.
After taking the oath of office with new council members Shane Brickner and Dan Dunne at Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting, Peterson took the podium and delivered an address that was part acceptance speech, part visionary outline for the future.
“We’re here to make the community stronger and better,” Peterson said. “Working together, we can make this a wonderful place to live.”

Newly elected Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson takes the oath of office at the beginning of Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Peterson, who served as the city’s inaugural mayor from 2001 to 2006, won a landslide vote in November over City Council Member Josh Beckett.

Peterson later referred to his plans of “organizing around a city administrator position,” signaling a return to the original hierarchy at City Hall that consisted of a strong mayor working with a full-time city administrator responsible for coordinating day-to-day municipal business. During his first tenure as mayor, Peterson eliminated the position, releasing the inaugural city administrator, Lewis Griffin, in 2005.
Liberty Lake has not hired anyone as a replacement ever since, a scenario that helped spur a citizen-led initiative last year to transition from the strong mayor system of government to a city manager structure. The vote for a city manager was defeated in the November general election by a 70-percent margin. Peterson, meanwhile, routed Council Member Josh Beckett in the race for mayor, earning 74 percent of the ballot.
“I want to thank the citizens for their confidence in me and their government as we move forward,” Peterson said on Tuesday.
Peterson also thanked Beckett for throwing his hat into the ring, saying the competition generated “better dialogue for the city overall.”
The new mayor said it would be important to work with neighboring cities, civic groups and outside agencies “in order to achieve common community objectives.” He also announced plans for a permanent home for the Liberty Lake Farmers Market on a 6.4-acre plat of land purchased by the city in 2006. He said the site could at some point be the address for a community center, library and administrative buildings.
A request for qualifications regarding the city administrator will be issued this week, Peterson said, although no timetable has been confirmed for when the hire will be official. The City Council has set aside a placeholder of $160,000 for the city administrator position in the 2012 budget.
For the time being, Mike Cecka, a former city manager and city administrator, will serve as interim city administrator, advising Peterson and helping in the search process.
The city will also be putting out the call for a new representative on the City Council as Ryan Romney, who has served since 2007, announced his resignation on Dec. 27. Fellow council members indicated that Romney had continuing conflicts with work and wished to spend more time with his family. He is also working on a master’s degree.
Peterson said the city would accept applications for Romney’s position until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16. The council would then interview prospective replacements at the next scheduled meeting on Jan. 17, although Peterson stopped short of saying when the appointee would be confirmed. Local businessman Keith Kopleson, who fell 77 votes short of Brickner in November, was in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting and indicated he will apply. 
The new mayor also postponed two items on Tuesday’s agenda – the naming of a new mayor pro tem to replace Dave Crump and appointments to standing committees such as finance, public safety and community development. Peterson encouraged council representatives to hand in prioritized committee preferences and said the new mayor pro tem should serve as the chair of the finance committee and be recognized as the “leader and sounding board of the council.