The Puyallup Vikings and Rogers Rams boys soccer teams battled to a 1-1 tie in an SPSL South soccer battle at Sparks Stadium last week. Be sure to check out the April 28th issue of the Puyallup Herald for a full recap on this exciting matchup.

The Puyallup Vikings are hosting an annual food drive benefiting the Puyallup Food Bank. The food drive will take place at 7 p.m. on May 4 at Heritage Park when the Puyallup Vikings face the Rogers Rams in a fastpitch game.
Canned goods, peanut butter and jelly are some noted items needed. For more information about the food drive, e-mail Vikings pitcher Kelsey Robinson at ballcrazy4@comcast.net

The Ken Wilson Memorial Golf tournament will kick off at 1 p.m. on May 22 at the High Cedars Golf Club in Orting.

For more information, call Rod Mohr at 253-848-4441 or Kelly Wilson at 253-848-9593.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit Puyallup Valley Youth Athletics.

The Pierce County Bengals football squad is currently searching for players to add to its 2010 roster. The Bengals practice on Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 4 p.m. at the old Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma. For more information, contact longtime head coach Ron Baines at 253-691-6858.

“We need players at all positions,” Baines said on April 9.

Gary McLean is no longer Puyallup’s city manager, a move that became effective at midnight on Wednesday, April 7.

That announcement was made Tuesday evening following a lengthy city council executive session. The council also met behind closed doors for more than two hours last week to discuss McLean, but didn’t announce any actions at that point.

Mayor Kathy Turner read a short letter from McLean that expressed thanks to his staff and other members of the community for a chance to serve, though it didn’t explain his reasons for resigning. The city is expected to release the letter and details of his severance package this week when it becomes public information.

McLean spent more than eight years in Puyallup, six as its city attorney, before being hired to replace former manager Jim Bacon in early 2008. His supporters credited him for obtaining several state and federal grants during his tenure, as well as coming up with a budget that didn’t require layoffs or pay cuts to city staff. His detractors pointed to a shrinking budget reserve, multiple lengthy lawsuits and an overall lack of transparency.

The council voted 7-0 Tuesday to have Parks and Recreation Director Ralph Dannenberg serve as interim city manager. No one on the council discussed a possible timeline for finding McLean’s successor.

The April 7  issue of The Herald was published before any of the details of Tuesday’s meeting were available, though there is a lengthy A1 story about McLean’s history in Puyallup and the council’s meeting last week. More information on McLean will be available in The Herald’s April 14 issue.

The Sumner Spartans, Puyallup Vikings, Rogers Rams and Emerald Ridge Jaguars baseball teams have the talent on their rosters to make a run at the 2010 state baseball tournament. It will be interesting to see how the next two months on the diamond go!

Puyallup City Council members met in a closed, executive session for nearly two-and-a-half hours on Thursday night but made no actions regarding the fate of City Manager Gary McLean.

The special meeting, announced publicly Wednesday afternoon, was well-attended by both McLean’s supporters and detractors. Several area business owners held signs reading, “Keep our city manager.”

McLean has been under fire from some council members since he was first appointed to the post in January 2008. Current council members Rick Hansen and John Knutsen opposed his hiring and voted to fire him during his first performance evaluation last year, citing problems with transparency and fair treatment of all council members.

The meeting’s agenda stated its purpose to evaluate a public employee, though it’s unknown whether the council filled out forms to that effect on Thursday. The city manager’s written evaluation is a public record.

Mayor Kathy Turner emerged from the executive chambers twice to announce the meeting had been extended. The entire council took the dais at around 9:30 p.m. and announced it would take no action for the time being. The council left the room quickly and took no public comment during the session. Councilmember John Knutsen offered no comment immediately after the meeting.

Read more about the executive session in The Herald’s April 7 issue.