Lakewood City Manager Finalist for Open Tacoma Position

It's fair to say Lakewood City Manager Andrew Neiditz has worked his way up the employment latter, beginning with his roots tied to New York City to his involvement with local government for the past 25 years in Pierce County.

His first job was a paperboy at the age of 12. He recalls riding his bike through the New York City suburbs, enduring the harsh winter climate trudging through high snow collecting extra tips for his work. In high school he worked as an usher for $1.50 an hour.

Now he's in a position to take on the biggest leadership challenge of his career. The 58-year-old city manager is a finalist for Tacoma's city manager position.

"It was mixed feelings when I decided to become a candidate," Neiditz told Patch Friday morning. "I'm still very committed and involved in what we're doing here in Lakewood. There are a lot of projects going on. The decision to have my name go forward is an acknowledgement that leadership can change, if it's meant to be."

Lakewood City Councilmember Walter Neary believes the Tacoma position will be a huge challenge for him. Neary, who plans to step down after serving eight years on the council, said the Tacoma City Council would be crazy not to hire Andrew. But he also believes Neiditz would be crazy for taking it.

"Of course, I smile as I say that," Neary said in an e-mail to Patch. "But Tacoma is a huge, huge challenge, and it sounds like they have a lot of pent-up problems that will take years to sort out. Yet it’s an amazing professional challenge — to a city manager, an amazing mountain to climb — and I respect him for being willing to consider the opportunity."

The Tacoma City Council is expected to select its new city manager on Dec. 13. In an article published in the Tacoma News Tribune, Neiditz said he submitted his application Oct. 20, the day before the application deadline. The Tacoma City Council terminated Eric Anderson's position as their chief administrator.

Currently his seventh year as the city manager, Neiditz said he never planned on retiring in Lakewood. He's worked in Pierce County government, going from deputy county executive from 1985 to 1993 then as Sumner's city administrator from 1999 to March of 2005 before accepting the Lakewood position.

"I’ve been here long enough to make my mark," Neiditz, 58, said. "I’ve not been here too long that people feel it’s important that I leave. There’s a balance. My commitment to Lakewood is really strong. If I don’t go to Tacoma, there’s still work to be done."

Tacoma and Lakewood, albeit neighbors, are different in many aspects. Tacoma is more than three times its size and is a fully operational city. Lakewood contracts out for its fire services with West Pierce Fire & Rescue and Lakewood does not have a downtown.

Neiditz said it's not a big move in terms of mileage but a big move in terms of size of organization and the city itself. He would receive a pay increase of $79,000 from his current salary of $156,000.

"In terms of my career it would allow me to take the experience and skills I've developed and apply them to some challenging problems Tacoma has," he said.

If selected, the city council would likely hire an interim city manager from the inside. Assistant city administrators Dave Bugher and Choi Halladay would be likely candidates. Councilmember Jason Whalen said there will be the normal lag time in getting a full leadership position with a new manager.

"But we will handle it well and will embrace the opportunities a change in leadership may present," he said.