MEMO TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor John Marchione
SUBJECT:
title
Planning and Community Development Director Confirmation
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation
Confirm the appointment of Karen Haluza to serve as Redmond’s Planning and Community Development Director.
body
II. DEPARTMENT CONTACTS
Mayor John Marchione 425-556-2101
III. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
The City has made an offer of employment as the City’s Planning and Community Development Director to Ms. Karen Haluza. The offer is contingent on confirmation of her appointment by the Council.
The City contracted with Karras Consulting to fill this position. A total of 75 applications were received and Karras interviewed 21 candidates for this position. The top three candidates were invited to go through an extensive interview process in April. The candidates received a tour, made a presentation to the Planning, Fire Prevention, Parks Department employees, and interviewed with a panel comprised of Directors, Deputy Directors, and myself. As a final step, I interviewed the final two candidates, one-on-one.
Throughout the interview process, Karen displayed the characteristics and traits that are required of a Director. The process found Karen to be an excellent candidate and confirmed that she will be a valuable addition to the Planning Department and the City’s leadership team.
Karen comes to us highly recommended. Karen is an experienced planning and community development leader with over 20 years of management experience in local government working in the fields of planning and redevelopment. She has also had experience in transit and land use planning, including the integration of a new light rail project with housing and mixed-use development. For the last three years Karen has served as the Director of Community Development for the City of Fullerton in California. In this role she reports directly to the City Manager and oversees 30 staff responsible for planning, building and safety, code enforcement, and housing and rehabilitation. Prior to that she was with the City of Santa Ana for ten years in roles that led to her serving as the Planning and Building Agency Interim Executive Director for her last year. For the last 11 years she has served as a part-time faculty member teaching urban planning at California State University Fullerton. Karen holds a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University, Fullerton and she earned a Bachelor’s in Social Ecology and Psychology from University of California, Irvine.
IV. PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS HELD
None.
V. IMPACT
A. Service/Delivery:
None.
B. Fiscal Note:
Funding for this position is included in the adopted City budget.
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
N/A
VII. TIME CONSTRAINTS
The tentative start date for the candidate is June 6, 2017.
VIII. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
None.