Centralia City Council hires new city manager

Nov. 1—The Centralia City Council unanimously approved the hiring contract for Michael Thomas, of Hillsboro, Oregon, during a special meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 30, officially making him the next Centralia city manager.

His hiring comes nearly six months after former Centralia City Manager Rob Hill retired in May following 14 years in the position. Thomas was one of three candidates announced at the beginning of October.

The other two candidates were Roxanne Miles, who has been Pierce County's parks and recreation director since 2017, and Robert Maul, the City of Camas planning manager since 2014.

While not able to attend in person as he is currently living in Oregon while looking at potential homes in the area, Thomas was still present at Wednesday's meeting via Zoom. His official first day on the job will be Dec. 1.

"Thank you to the mayor, council, city attorney, everyone, the whole team basically for getting this done," Thomas said on Wednesday. "It was a very square deal, and I appreciate the contract and look forward to starting on the first."

Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Thomas has served as city administrator in Amity, Oregon, since 2019.

Before working in Oregon, he had a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force, where he retired as a lieutenant colonel.

During his time in the Air Force, Thomas piloted Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft along with being a crew member on MC-130H Combat Talon II transport planes, where he helped transport special operations troops along with their supplies and vehicles in and out of operating areas.

He told The Chronicle still loves flying, although the planes he flies now, Cessnas and Pipers, are much smaller.

"I've looked at both Centralia and Olympia as possible places to continue flying on weekends or holidays or vacations, when I get the opportunity, but my primary job will be to serve the City of Centralia and its community," Thomas told The Chronicle on Thursday.

He thanked the Centralia City Council for giving him the opportunity to be the new city manager.

"I was very impressed by all of them going through the interview process, and I look forward to serving them, the staff and the entire community here starting Dec. 1," Thomas said.

Thomas has a master's degree in public administration from the University of Oregon, a master's degree in business administration from Trident University International, a master's degree in military operational art and science from Air University and a bachelor's degree in management from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

As the new Centralia city manager, Thomas will start with an annual salary of $170,376, which could increase to $175,487 starting on Jan. 1, 2025, according to the contract.

Comparatively, Chehalis City Manager Stacy Denham told The Chronicle his annual salary was $170,000 when he was hired to the position earlier this year.

Since Hill's retirement in May, Centralia Deputy City Manager and Parks Director Amy Buckler has served as the city's interim city manager.

In July, three candidates were selected as finalists from those who originally applied for the job after Hill retired.

Those three were Robert Harrison, Chandra Wax and Jennifer Wills, but the council ultimately decided none of them were right for the job and continued their recruiting search with Prothman consultants until October.

During Wednesday's meeting, Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston thanked Centralia Human Resources Manager Angie Stritmatter and Buckler for their work during the candidate search process.

"(Stritmatter) led this process incredibly well, and it had its ups and downs, so we appreciate your leadership and your team's effort on our behalf," Smith Johnston said. "And I know the whole staff has shouldered a load through this interim time, but none more so than our Deputy City Manager Amy Buckler. You have done an amazing job. It has not been easy. There has been a lot of pressure on Amy throughout this time period to have three hats — interim city manager, deputy city manager and parks director. So we thank you very deeply and hope you get some well deserved rest in the future."