Shelton manager reflects

In the fall of 2018, Jeff Niten was working in community development and planning for the City of Ridgefield in southwestern Washington when he saw Shelton was seeking a new city manager.

In an interview Tuesday with the Journal, Niten said two things attracted him to the post: the opportunity to work for a city that had recently adopted the council-manager form of government that makes the manager the city's top executive, and the chance to help spur housing and economic development.

Four years and two months into his post, Niten is leaving to be the city manager for the City of Mountlake Terrace. The suburban Snohomish County city of about 21,000 people, 13 miles north of Seattle, also has a council-manager form of government. The Mountlake Terrace City Council on March 4 unanimously selected Niten from its candidates.

"I really enjoyed it here," Niten said. "Shelton will always have a soft spot for me."

"Jeff was a valuable, and in my opinion, the best city manager the city has had in many years," Mayor Eric Onisko wrote to the Journal. "And I wish him the best with his new endeavor."

The City Council is scheduled to talk to Niten about the transition at its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, said Mary Ricker, the city's communications specialist. "The council ultimately will name an interim city manager, who will work with the council and staff to determine how the recruitment process will work," she wrote. His last day is March 31.

The Alaska native started his Shelton job in January 2019. About five or six years earlier, he had visited Mason County for the first time to take his motorcycle for a spin up to speeds of 115 mph at the Ridge Motorsports Park.

Niten replaced Shelton native Ryan Wheaton, who resigned after 1 ½ years. Three people filled the position on an interim basis, including former Shelton City Manager Mike McCarty, and for three weeks, then-Shelton Police Chief Darrin Moody.

Niten lived in an apartment near Mason General Hospital before he and his wife, Rachel, rented a house on Capitol Hill.

"People have described it as drinking from a firehose," he said of his introduction to the town and position. "That's what it was like for the first six months."

Kathy McDowell, who was on the then-Shelton City Commission and now the council, wrote in an email to the Journal that she "thoroughly 100% enjoyed working with" Niten.

"When he came to Shelton, he came to somewhat of a mess," she wrote. "His talents followed him through the doors of our city and he put his talents to work and now years later we are thriving as a city. We still have work to do, and with the groundwork that has been laid we will go on with success."

When Shelton had the last three-member city commission in the state, it had three commissioners who specialized in city services; Department heads answered to one of them.

With the council-manager form of government, "We're making the city one team pulling in one direction," Niten said. "Having all the departments pulling together instead of competing for resources."

As for housing and economic development, "There's a lot of potential here," Niten said. He added, "It will take years and a lot of groundwork."

Niten said his highlights in Shelton include the city's acquisition of the Simpson rail line projected for a multi modal park from Kneeland Park to U.S. Highway 101; the refinancing of bonds on the purchase of the city's wastewater treatment plant that saved taxpayers almost $3 million; establishing relationships and meeting regularly with officials from Mason County, the Port of Shelton, the Skokomish and Squaxin Island tribes, public utility districts and school districts; and contracting with the Nisqually Correctional Facility to provide jail beds for arrestees.

Onisko wrote that the accomplishments under Niten also include negotiating with the U.S. Postal Service to acquire Post Office Park, technology upgrades, negotiating franchise agreements and assembling the city's task force on homelessness.

Niten said he and his wife enjoyed being volunteers at the OysterFest celebration.

Does he have advice for his successor?

"Establish trusting relationships. People have to know you are doing things for the right reason."