Council aims for stability with new city manager MacColl

The Sammamish City Council voted on Nov. 1 to make interim city manager Scott MacColl’s contract permanent.  

Despite recruiting other city manager candidates from across the nation, the council decided unanimously on MacColl, who has worked for the city since he was hired as deputy city manager in May 2021. MacColl was then named acting city manager in this past April, and interim city manager in May. 

MacColl became interim city manager after the city separated with former city manager Dave Rudat following an internal ethics investigation. Following this, the city hired a consulting firm for recruitment, interviewing three candidates in addition to MacColl in October. 

MacColl’s prior experiences with the city were the deciding factor between him and other candidates, said Councilmember Karen Howe in an email to the Sammamish Independent. 

Howe emphasized the trust and transparency of previous interactions with MacColl, coupled with a desire for continuity among council members and city staff. 

At the Nov. 1 meeting, council members also highlighted how well MacColl handled several difficulties as deputy and interim city manager. 

Councilmember Rituja Indapure praised MacColl’s open communication even with “a lot of turnover on this dais.” 

Indapure was referring to the resignations of three council members in the first five months of 2022.  

Howe contrasted MacColl’s performance with Rudat’s. She explained that MacColl took on an expanded role to fill in gaps as necessary. 

“In [MacColl’s] early days here, even when there was a prior city manager… he stepped in and filled an absence, frankly,” she said. 

Given Sammamish’s rapid turnover rate for city managers in the past several years, MacColl believes that alignment with the council’s goals and direction will be important to the city’s success. 

In an email to the Sammamish Independent, he said, “If council is successful, the community will be successful and that will provide longer-term stability and leadership for the city and for my position.”