Snoqualmie officially hires Chambless as city administrator

Chambless has served as the interim city administrator for the last six months

Mike Chambless, the city of Snoqualmie’s interim city administrator for the past six months, was given the job on a permanent basis Oct. 23. His appointment was unanimously approved by the Snoqualmie City Council.

Chambless joined the city as its parks and public works director in 2022 and later assumed the role of interim city administrator in May, following the termination of Mike Sauerwein. He at some points held both jobs simultaneously.

In his new role, Chambless will have a base salary of $214,000 a year, according to his contract.

The city administrator is one of the most important positions in city government and is responsible for working alongside the mayor in the management of the city and its staff.

“While serving as interim city administrator, I was impressed with Mr. Chambless’s strong leadership and track record of accomplishments while working with all city departments,” Mayor Katherine Ross said in a press release.

Prior to his time at the city, Chambless worked as a resource management agency director in San Benito County and as a management services director and assistant city manager for the City of Hollister, California, according to prior reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from San Jose State University.

Chambless is the city’s fourth administrator since 2020, and his appointment comes as the city is significantly understaffed. Many high-ranking positions are vacant or filled on an interim basis. Multiple councilmembers expressed concerns about a lack of staff beneath Chambless prior to his appointment Oct. 23.

“My biggest concern is, Mike is ridiculously good at his job, and he does a bunch of jobs on top of it,” Councilmember Ethan Benson said. “My prayer is there are systems in place that will not allow him to work 25 hours a day.”

Councilmember James Mayhew added that he was concerned about the city’s lack of department heads.

“All but one of them are vacant or have interims. A lot of senior staff positions are vacant,” he said. “We have a lot of work cut out for us.”

Councilmember Rob Wotton echoed those statments, adding that Chambless is exceptionally qualified and would bring stability to the city.

“We just don’t want you to burn out either,” he said.