Lewis County commissioners have chosen former Lewis County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant Ryan Barrett to be the next county manager.
Barrett, who currently oversees more than 100 employees as captain of the South Correction Entity in Des Moines, has been offered the position, according to a news release from the county.
The commissioners selected Barrett, 41, after hosting a public meet-and-greet followed by an all-day interview session that involved nearly two dozen county employees, including elected officials, department directors and others, according to the release.
Barrett grew up in the area and served on the Centralia City Council from 2008 to 2009. He has more than 19 years of public service in Lewis and King counties. His experience includes work in municipal management, budget oversight, labor relations and policy development, according to the release.
In prepared statements, commissioners said they were impressed with the high caliber and quality of the candidates they considered for the position.
“He has lived in Lewis County, knows our culture and our people,” Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope said. “He’s a person who has exhibited great leadership qualities, and I’m excited to work with him to implement great things for Lewis County … I appreciate the amount of feedback received from county department directors and other elected officials in support of Mr. Barrett.”
Commissioner Scott Brummer said excellent input was provided by county department directors and elected officials following the interviews and that he’s confident the county made the right choice.
“We’re going to collectively work together to ensure his success,” Brummer said.
“Mr. Barrett interviewed well and obviously took his time preparing,” added Commissioner Lindsey Pollock. “While I did not vote for him, I’m hopeful that he can make the transition from his current position to the duties of our county manager. There will be quite the learning curve, and I’m confident that our skilled county directors and staff will do everything they can to facilitate his growth.”
Interim Lewis County Manager Steve Wohld said he is happy to have the county manager position filled by someone with affection and familiarity with he community. .
“I’m excited to welcome him back to our community,” Would said.
Barrett, who has been married for more than 20 years and has three children, has a master’s degree from Western Governors University in Millcreek, Utah, and a bachelor’s degree in communications from The Evergreen State College.
If he accepts the position, Barrett would succeed Erik Martin, who left in March to join a private engineering firm.
Other finalists for the position were Gun-Sam Kim, Todd Mielke and Amber Smith.
Read more about the finalists at https://tinyurl.com/523hcaj9.
