The topic of how council members are seated presented itself again at Tuesday night’s meeting in the Puyallup City Council chambers.

The council had used a new seating arrangement for its past two meetings in an attempt to put members of the same district next to each other. But some didn’t like the way Mayor Don Malloy did it, shuffling Deputy Mayor George Dill out of the traditional spot next to the mayor.

In response to Dill’s request Tuesday night, Malloy announced he would shift the seating arrangement back to its previous pattern. That will place Dill to Malloy’s immediate right alongside Rick Hansen and John Knutsen, while Mike Deal, Tami Brouillet and Kathy Turner will sit in that respective order to Malloy’s left.

“We’ve got bigger fish to fry than where we’re sitting,” Dill said. “I’m more concerned with the condition of our streets…what about our infrastructure, our flooding, our storm sewers?…These are much more important to me and I put them at a much higher priority than where I sit.”

The Herald will be taking a closer look next week at one of the topics that came to a close last night: the council’s climate survey of city employees. The plan that passed Tuesday is significantly different than the model Hansen proposed in March.

While the city’s human resources director, Gail Solberg, will be Puyallup’s contact point with the survey company, Performance Programs Inc., final results will come directly to the council. The council removed language from the contract that would’ve permitted two written comment sections as well as a list of three to five demographic compilations. The contract was approved 4-3; Hansen and Knutsen dissented because they believed the survey was radically altered and Brouillet believed the survey should be scrapped altogether.

Happy Wednesday morning East Pierce County,

In this week’s issue, we will be running a front-page story about Puyallup City Manager Gary McLean and his efforts to seal personnel records from his former employer, the city of Des Moines. The records were released to The Herald and Councilmember John Knutsen last week.

The records indicate McLean received some complaints early in his six-year tenure with Des Moines but improved during the latter years, his former boss said this week. And as McLean pointed out, he has yet to receive a complaint against him during his time in Puyallup.

Feel free to comment and let us know how what you think about this story.

East Main Vision is hosting a parking lot and yard sale for Jaimie’s Heart Foundation from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 31.
The foundation provides assistance to children diagnosed with congenital heart disease.
East Main Vision is located at 2732 East Main Avenue, Suite 200 in Puyallup.
For more information about the foundation, go to www.jamiesheart.org.

The 25th District Republican Club will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, April 14 in the Puyallup Public Library. The guest speaker will be State Representative Joyce McDonald, candidate for the Pierce County Council. The public is invited. For more information, call Bob Neilson at 253-845-0038.

City of Puyallup officials have closed Bradley Lake Park today as a precautionary measure after a juvenile black bear was sited in the park.
The park will remain closed over the weekend while officers from the State Department of Fish and Wildlife try to track, tranquilize and remove the bear from the park. The Puyallup Police Department is assisting.
An attempt to apprehend the bear occurred yesterday, April 3, but Fish and Wildlife officers were unable to trap and tranquilize the bear before dark.
Park-goers spotted the bear a few days ago and a confirmed sighting from Metro Animal Services happened yesterday.
It is important to note the closure is a precautionary measure, said Puyallup Spokewoman Glenda Carino.
“It’s really important that people know that the bear has caused no harm,” she said. “The bear hasn’t been chasing any people. People have been chasing the bear.”
One concern is that often times when there is a juvenile bear around an adult bear is close by, Carino said. No adult has been spotted, but every precaution is being taken.
There have been no reports of the bear digging through garbage for food, Carino said, which is good.
“Once it becomes a garbage bear then it becomes a problem,” she said.
People are encouraged to stay away from the park until the bear is captured.
The park will reopen once the bear is removed.

The Puyallup City Council named Acting City Manager Gary McLean as the official city manager in a 4-3 decision at the Jan. 31 special workshop in council chambers.
“It was more timely this time to get it done,” said Mayor Don Malloy, who voted for McLean.
Deputy Mayor George Dill opposed naming McLean city manager, because he felt McLean has only been the acting city manager for three months and the council needed more time to gauge is abilities.
“Why were we rushing into this,” he said. “The city’s not falling apart and I would have liked to taken more time.”
However, McLean has been doing a great job since he took over for departing City Manager Jim Bacon, Dill said.
“It’s just too soon,” he said.
Before filling the position of acting city manager, McLean was the city’s attorney for six years.
His knowledge of the issues in Puyallup is one of his strengths, Malloy said.
“I have personal knowledge of his skills and what he brings to the city,” he said. “I feel the city is on the right track on working on a lot of issues.
“He’s (McLean) had a hand in all of that for the past six years and I want that to continue.”
The city won’t have to deal with a transitional period that an outside hire would need, because of his experience in the city, McLean said.
“I never came to Puyallup hoping to get the job,” McLean said. “I am humbled that they asked me to do it.”
Dill said, he’s been pleased with the work McLean has done and is behind him.
Councilmembers Kathy Turner, Mike Deal and Tami Brouillet also voted for McLean as the city manager. Councilmembers John Knutsen and Rick Hansen opposed the decision.
It is important for the city to show full support for their top executive, Malloy said, it brings stability to staff and certainty of council support.
As for the close decision, he said, in any campaign it would be considered a landslide.
“We haven’t had a president in years who’s gotten four out of seven and given the opportunity I think he’s going to do fine,” Malloy said.
McLean said, he hopes the council’s decision is taken by city staff as a reflection of the hard work they have been doing for the past several months.
The city staff has been short staffed and is still in the process of hiring a human resources director, as well as a financial director.
“There are a lot of things happening and people have been very busy getting things done,” he said. “They are doing a great job.”