Sunnyside reaches to Oregon for new city manager

SUNNYSIDE -- After more than a year of vacancy, Sunnyside has a city manager.

On Monday, the City Council unanimously chose Mark Gervasi, the current city manager for Tillamook, Ore., as its top administrator.

Gervasi has tentatively accepted an offer for a annual salary of $98,000, insurance, vacation, relocation expenses and an auto allowance. There is also a four-month severance package in the event that he is terminated.

Gervasi, 61, plans to finish his 13-year tenure with Tillamook on Sept. 2 and start work in Sunnyside on Sept. 13, he said.

Tillamook, the Tillamook County seat with a population of 4,430, has been transitioning from a timber and fishing economy to one of tourism.

Gervasi said he enjoys living and working in Tillamook but wanted a chance to manage a larger staff in a larger community.

"I love it here, but I'm looking for a step up and a challenge," he said.

Sunnyside, with a population of about 15,000, has 92 employees, while Tillamook has about 60. In 2008, he was a finalist for the Sunnyside city manager spot, which went to Eric Swansen. In 2009, Gervasi was a finalist for a similar position in Sequim, Wash.

Gervasi has begun looking for a house in Sunnyside to share with his wife, Kathy Gervasi, but they are considering keeping their home in Tillamook for possible retirement, he said.

He also has three adult sons from a previous marriage who live in the Portland area.

Sunnyside Mayor Jim Restucci said the council was attracted to Gervasi's 13-year length of stay in Tillamook.

"We're looking for someone, like we've said before, that's going to be with us for a while," Restucci said.

Gervasi will be Sunnyside's fourth manager in six years.

In June of last year, the council voted 4-2 to fire Swansen, who had been on the job 11 months, citing poor communication with council members.

Public Works Director Jim Bridges has been filling in on an interim basis.

The average tenure for city managers in America is about seven years, according to the International City/County Management Association in Washington D.C.

Restucci and other city officials will negotiate a detailed employment agreement with Gervasi. One of those details will be a performance review process that puts expectations in writing, something Swansen did not have, Restucci said. Swansen was fired after his first review.

Gervasi said he knew about Sunnyside's recent management history but isn't bothered by it.

"I think things are going to work out just fine," he said.

Gervasi and Restucci said the city's biggest challenge will be combating crime. Sunnyside has had numerous shootings as well as three homicides this year, all of which police believe are gang-related.

Gervasi also said priorities will be attracting development to the former Monson feedlot, purchased by the city in 2004, and revitalizing the ailing downtown.

In Tillamook, Gervasi was known for projects in the city's downtown. In 2006, he helped persuade Safeway to purchase a city-owned downtown building, in which the grocery giant reopened after a flood damaged its store on the city outskirts.

He also helped create an urban renewal program that directs all increases in property taxes toward helping business owners renovate facades and interiors, said longtime Mayor Bob McPheeters.

"We were very well satisfied with his performance," McPheeters said.

Gervasi also was known for supporting youth programs, such as the Tillamook Police Department's Cadet Program, that introduced kids as young as 7 years old to police work.

He hired current chief Terry Wright about 12 years ago; one of their first decisions was to appoint a school resource officer, Wright said.

The seven-officer department has few gang problems, Wright said, but participates in countywide task forces focusing on drugs and major crimes. It's the only agency in Tillamook County with 24-hour staffing.

Gervasi was selected from a pool of four finalists who visited the city last week for a public meet-and-greet and interviews with the council.

The other three were Garold (Jerry) Gillham, former city manager of Lakeport, Calif.; Byron Olson, director of finance and administrative services for Sunnyside; and Martha (Marty) Wine, assistant chief administrative officer for Renton, Wash.

Olson said he plans to stay in Sunnyside.

* Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.