Gary Armstrong officially began his duties as the new Snoqualmie

city administrator on March 20. Donald Isley, director of public safety,

had been acting administrator since Kim Wilde left office in November 1999.

Armstrong is not new to Snoqualmie city government. He

has been the public works director for more than a year. With 19 years’

experience in the public service sector, Armstrong said his work with the

city has provided him a strong foundation for the new position.

“I will be keeping several of the responsibilities I had as public

works director for a time,” Armstrong said. “Many of the meetings and

strategy sessions overlap between the two jobs, so I will remain on projects still in

the design, plat, plan and review stage that started when I was public works

director.”

As administrator, Armstrong is responsible for the oversight of all

city functions and employees except police and fire departments, which

fall under the jurisdiction of public safety.

“Growth management is our most critical issue and difficult

challenge,” Armstrong stated. “That

includes keeping the infrastructure in place and maintaining financial solvency. It

also means not forgetting the historical downtown district, keeping it vital

and healthy. To that end, the citizens of Snoqualmie should know that we

are blessed with very strong, motivated and knowledgeable staff.”

Armstrong was responsible for bringing in state and federal

grant money to conduct the Highway 202 Corridor Study. Although the

project is required to be transportation oriented by the funding sources, all

aspects of traffic, parking, pedestrian movement and lighting will be

included in the findings.

“The city will add money to the corridor project to see how the

historical district will fit in with the streetscapes and corridor

plan,” Armstrong said. The study will include the section of Highway

202 within the north to south Snoqualmie city limits. A final report is

projected for the end of the year.

Despite Armstrong’s commitment to Snoqualmie, he commutes

from Marysville every day. “That’s because of my `other life’,” he commented.

Armstrong raises and trains Arabian horses. He spends much of

his off-work time in competitive trail and endurance riding, and most

weekends riding the high Cascades back country.

A Washington native, Armstrong attended high school in Oak

Harbor and college at Western Washington University. He joined the Army

during the Vietnam era, spending two years in Germany and serving out

his final year at Fort Lewis.

Armstrong spent 11 years in the construction trade following his

discharge from the service. The high interest rates and low housing starts

of the early 1980’s persuaded him to consider a change in direction.

“I began looking for a career, not a job,” he said. “I decided to put

my interests, skills and education to work.” He applied for a public

works administration position in Eastern Washington in 1981, and

discovered he had found his niche.

Enthusiastic about his new position, Armstrong said he is

energized and looking at the big picture. “We

are asking for proposals from the consulting field,” he said. “We need to

develop a living, working plan that will prepare Snoqualmie for the future

and ensure our economic vitality.”