SEQUIM — Council members were impressed by their new city manager’s track record of being involved with the communities he manages.

Getting out of the office and going to Rotary and other service club meetings, said Steven Burkett, “is one of the things I enjoy about the job.”

“One of the reasons I lobbied hard for him,” said council member Ken Hays, “was that I was struck . . . by not only the civic involvement, but also the service clubs” Burkett interacted with during his time in Shoreline.

“I feel like he’ll be very involved, very much a part of our community.”

Open-door policy

Council member Eric Erichsen added that in other cities he’s managed, Burkett maintained an open-door policy so anyone could come to City Hall for a face-to-face conversation.

Burkett said later that in his first assignment as city manager, in Springfield, Ore., from 1980 to 1986, he set aside half of a day each week for walk-ins. Not many took advantage of the opportunity, he said, but he’s open to trying it again in his new city.

In a town the size of Sequim ­ ­– with a small fraction of Springfield’s then-population of 80,000 ­– Burkett anticipates many opportunities for informal talks with residents.

And after some four years as a consultant working at home in Edmonds, Burkett added, he’s eager to come to work with Sequim’s 72 employees.

“I wanted to get back into working in a community.

“As a consultant, you get to work with lots of communities, but as an outsider,” he said.

Burkett also let the council know that this will probably be his last city manager assignment before retirement.

Council member Bill Huizinga has said that he expects Burkett to stay “five to seven years at least.”

Rough ground

When asked about Sequim’s budget crisis ­– one projection estimated an $850,000 gap between revenues and expenditures going into 2010 ­– Burkett’s demeanor was that of a manager who’s watched other cities struggle over similarly rough ground.

“Those budget challenges are going to be there for years to come,” he said.

As for his ability to work with a council that’s been divided between newer and long-serving members, Burkett was as matter-of-fact.

“I’ve done a lot of research and evaluation about them . . . Cities go through elections; there are different policies and different approaches.

“The city manager’s job is to implement the policies of the majority,” he said.

“I looked at things carefully, at what their values are and what my values are, and I felt satisfied that it’s a good opportunity.”

________

Sequim-Dungeness Valley reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@ peninsuladailynews.com.