Wade Farris to begin work later this month
by Dennis Rahm
The Chelan City Council met in special session Monday afternoon for the express purpose of appointing an Interim City Administrator. Council members and Mayor Bob Goedde conducted a brief in-person interview with Wallace Wade Farris and ultimately passed a motion to contract with Prothman Executive Recruitment to employ Farris on an interim basis.
Late last year the city contracted with the recruitment firm to assist in the hiring of a new City Administrator to replace Mike Jackson who left the position at the end of 2019. Ironically, Farris was a finalist for the job when Jackson was hired in 2016. The job of a city administrator involves management of the day to day operations of the city and supervision responsibilities for city departments.
Farris is expected to begin work later this month and when asked, indicated he would be interested in pursuing the job on a permanent basis. Mayor Goedde told LakeChelanNow that Farris has an outstanding background and may well be the best candidate to fill the position on a permanent basis.
Farris currently lives in Gig Harbor and owns property in the Methow Valley. He most recently worked as the City Administrator in Gig Harbor. He also served in the same capacity for the city of Othello and had a 39-year career in the military.
During his interview yesterday Farris told the city, “I’m looking for an opportunity to make a difference”. When asked about his strengths, he mentioned leadership abilities and the ability to work with others and to listen. He also mentioned the importance of promoting training as well as nurturing and embellishing potential. Farris has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Alabama and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from Ashford University.
