John Mauro officially steps into the job of Port Townsend’s new city manager on Nov. 1, and he’s going to have a full plate of expectations awaiting him.

When the Port Townsend City Council selected Mauro, Mayor Deborah Stinson described him as “the right person at the right time” for Port Townsend, due to his smarts, curiosity and experience, and she expressed confidence that Mauro would benefit from outgoing city manager David Timmons’ “solid foundation” to be able to take the city “to the next level.”

During her candidate forum alongside challenger Monica MickHager, Stinson praised Timmons for “getting a lot done,” but anticipated that Mauro would bring “a new spark,” meet citizens’ expectations that he be able to “mix it up with the community,” and bring with him ideas on how to address climate change.

Although she differed with Stinson on a number of issues, MickHager expressed “great hopes” that Mauro would be a visible presence in the community’s festivals and other events, and that he would make himself accessible to the public and be “invested in public participation” and willing to “listen to our community — not just about the things we love, but the things we don’t love.”

When contacted by The Leader, Stinson referred to the government relations contract that was unanimously adopted by the council on Feb. 4, in preparation to recruit a new manager.

“It would be inappropriate for me, or any individual council member, to add expectations that cannot be traced back to this agreement,” Stinson said.

While Timmons had told The Leader that he initially labored under expectations by previous council members that went beyond his job description, Stinson believes “the spirit of mutual respect and support to achieve common goals” should prevent a repeat of the situation that Timmons dealt with in the early days of his tenure.

“I also believe that we have found a manager who meets the expectations outlined in this contract, and is thus capable of raising any concerns, should such situations arise, before they become a problem,” Stinson said.

“Civic engagement”

When the council made its selection, Deputy Mayor David Faber described Mauro as “far and away my favorite” due to a level of community engagement that Faber considers essential for Port Townsend, as well as a level of research Mauro conducted that was “above and beyond what we ever could have expected.”

That being said, Faber echoed Stinson in emphasizing that his expectation of Mauro is that he do “a good job” in line with the expectations that the council outlined in his job description.

“I am particularly hopeful and expecting that he will be a good public persona, and encourage the community toward renewed civic engagement,” Faber said.

Faber characterized the city manager job as “something of a true full-time gig, at least when it comes to emergencies and urgent action,” but added he was nonetheless “dismayed” when he heard how some previous council members had “abused that open line of communication” with Timmons.

“John has a young family, and needs to have the opportunity to live a private life, too,” Faber said.

“Visionary”

When Mauro was selected, council member Amy Howard said she not only believed it appropriate to set “an incredibly high bar for expectations” for Port Townsend, but also wanted a city manager who would raise that bar, and she sees Mauro as the sort of “visionary” who’s up to that task.

During her candidate forum, both Howard and her challenger, Bernie Arthur, agreed that the incoming city manager needs to be visible to the public and involved in the community, which Arthur believes that Timmons was not, and Howard believes Mauro will be.

“Exceed our expectations”

Council member April Speser chimed in via speakerphone during the final selection to add her voice to those in favor of Mauro, for his energetic demeanor, his interview performances, his “ability to embrace and engage with the community,” and what she saw in his resume of his “commitment to working with local tribes.”

Although Speser was impressed by Mauro’s understanding of climate change issues, she felt it was more important that Mauro “is a lifelong learner.”

When contacted by The Leader, Speser said she expected he would be able to fulfill the role of city manager and perform all of the duties of the job, as well as meet the basic needs of Port Townsend’s city government.

“I suspect that he is likely to exceed our expectations in this regard,” Speser said. “My hope is also that he will very much enjoy being part of our community, and find the job to be meaningful and important work.”

Speser expressed confidence that city staff, community members and Mauro himself would “find the right balance, that promotes open and direct channels of communication,” while being respectful of everyone’s time and needs.

“Mr. Mauro is a professional and has worked in many positions where there have been various demands on his time,” Speser said. “I anticipate that he is well-equipped to perform the duties of the job during appropriate business hours, and should there ever be an unexpected emergency warranting his immediate attention, regarding the city’s safety or wellbeing, I have no doubt that he will be present and available in a meaningful way.”

Council member Michelle Sandoval set the tone for the comments during the final selection by naming Mauro as her choice due to his intelligence, curiosity and level of engagement with the community, all of which she believed were evident in the level of research Mauro did on the community and charities of Port Townsend.

“He has a modern outlook,” said Sandoval, who credited Timmons with setting Port Townsend on a promising course for the future, especially in the areas of sustainable budgets and infrastructure.

“And the Pacific Northwest is in his blood, even though he lives quite far away.”

“Best in the world” climate planner

Council member Pam Adams said she felt “very confident” in selecting Mauro, not just because of his research into the city manager position or Port Townsend’s nonprofits, but also because of his background in man-made climate change issues.

“The climate action plan he was part of for Auckland is one of the best in the world,” Adams said.

Adams later told The Leader, “I try not to have too many expectations, but I do have some hopes.”

One is for Mauro to come up with some “fresh ideas” for revenue streams, so that the city can provide needed services and infrastructure, “without always laying the burden on the taxpayers.”

Adam expressed enthusiasm over the prospect of working with Mauro and getting to know him.

“I’m sure I will email and call him and even occasionally stop by during office hours,” Adams said. “I feel a long discussion would require setting a time to meet. He will let us know the best way to connect and communicate.”

Although his term in office will end shortly after Mauro’s begins, Bob Gray said his mind was made up on behalf of Mauro by the public comments in his favor.

“Even before he’d applied, the public’s descriptions of their ideal candidate matched what we found in John,” Gray said. “He is going to be challenged by this community, but with his energy, I think he’s up for it.”

Nora Mitchell, who served as the interim city manager, acknowledged that it would take Mauro “a little time” to get here, “but when he’s here, he’s going to be fully ready to engage.”

When asked what he expected of the incoming Port Townsend city manager, Jefferson County Commissioner David Sullivan said, “Be a good neighbor. Relationships countywide and regionally are critical to the city. If something doesn’t work for your neighbors, it probably needs more work. There is a reason some version of the Golden Rule is found in every culture.”