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closeSmall town, big dreams
New city manager reflects on his journey from Huntsville, Ala., to Puyallup
Chris Albert
Gary McLean never had the expectation of being the Puyallup city manager when he came to town as the new city attorney six years ago.
“I’m humbled they asked me to do it,” McLean said, of the council’s decision last week.
The Puyallup City Council named McLean city manager Jan. 31, after serving the last several months in the position on a interim basis.
“It really is about the council saying ‘OK, they’re ready to move forward,’” he said. “I never came to this position thinking this is something that would happen to me.
“It’s a new challenge and it certainly is an opportunity to listen to folks.”
McLean was born in New Orleans in 1963 and grew up in Huntsville, Ala. His mother was a school teacher and his father worked for a missile command company.
Although Huntsville was doing big things, as a leader in developer rockets, there was a real sense of community, he said.
“I kind of took it for granted,” McLean said.
It wasn’t until later that he realized how a small town can do big things.
Although the town centered around aeronautical engineers and 120 of the 600 people in his high school graduating class became “rocket scientists,” his path was always law.
“I liked the options it gives you,” McLean said. “You get a broad set of experiences being an attorney.”
It was also something his parents wanted him to be, he said.
His mom, a coal miner’s daughter who died in 1991 of ovarian cancer, was the first of all of her siblings to go to college. And the value of a good education was something he’s carried with him his entire life.
“My parents always told me ‘Your education is the one thing they can never take away from you,’” McLean said.
McLean went to law school at Vanderbilt University, working throughout his college education in retail and as a clerk at different law firms.
In 1989, as a third year law student he made his way to Seattle eventually taking a position at a private practice working in government relations.
“This is home now,” McLean said. “As a city and a region I fell in love with it.”
He enjoys the outdoor opportunities, whether it’s time on the Puget Sound or riding his bike on trails in Puyallup.
And the people really care about where they live, he said.
“People choose to live here,” McLean said. “They don’t live here because they have to.”
Family and friends are very important to him. He makes it out to Huntsville to visit his dad about twice a year and at 8:30 a.m. every Sunday they talk on the phone. It’s something they’ve done for almost 30 years.
When he has the time he likes to spend it with friends either staying in to cook or taking a trip to Washington wine country.
His favorite dish to make is either shrimp etouffee or Creole gumbo, But he’s know for his key lime pie with city staff. He brought one for someone’s birthday years ago and is always getting requests.
“If my staff had their way I’d bring key lime pie to work everyday,” McLean said.
After working at a private firm for a few years he joined the city of Seattle as an attorney continuing his focus on government relations. Then he spent six years as the city attorney for Des Moines before coming to Puyallup and serving as the city attorney for the past six years.
The move from a big city to a smaller municipality was something he really enjoyed because it gave him a chance to work with all departments and be engaged in municipal issues.
“In a small jurisdiction you get to work on everything,” McLean said.
Councilmember Mike Deal said that experience is how he knew McLean was the right person for city manager.
He’s been key in all the major issues and progress the city has made over the last six years, Deal said.
“Gary is a very bright, energetic worker,” Deal said.
Deal was actually the first councilmember to work with McLean when he started working in Puyallup.
“I thought ‘Oh my God we have hired Frasier,’” Deal said, when he first met McLean. “I thought he looked like Kelsey Grammer.”
And although working for Puyallup isn’t always a sitcom, Deal’s enjoyed working with McLean.
As city attorney, he spoke very carefully giving legal advice to the council, Deal said. As city manager, he needs to be able to expand on issues and come to council with the best options available.
“He has been expected to wear two different hats,” said Councilmember Kathy Turner. “He understands the direction we’re going and he will continue that direction. He will be expected to perform.”
There are a lot of issues facing Puyallup, McLean said. There are key staff positions to fill, like the financial director, and concerns ranging from city to regional projects.
The city will be faced with meeting federal stormwater regulations, repairing and maintaining streets and sewers, securing open space, preserving Puyallup’s history while managing a growing community, keeping Puyallup present in the minds of federal and state leaders, moving into the new city hall and many other issues.
“We really are going to be able to hit the ground running,” McLean said. “I think that’s an exciting opportunity. It really is.
“We’ve already started working on 2008 work places and making things happen.”
There’s a lot to do in a small town with big dreams.
“We want to make the community proud of what we do for them,” McLean said.