Planning director candidates will be unveiled to public Sept. 16

Members of the public will have a chance to meet the four finalists for Bellevue's planning and community development director Sept. 16 at City Hall.

The city declined to release the names of the four finalists but Cathryn Laird, assistant human resource director said two of the candidates are from the region, with two others hailing from out of state. All four candidates come from a background of municipal planning, she said.

Whoever gets the job will replace Matt Terry, who retired from the city in June after 30 years. During his career with Bellevue, Terry guided several major initiatives, including the development of downtown into a regional hub for retail and employment, and a re-zone of the Bel-Red corridor that will extend the city's urbanization efforts east across Interstate 405.

Dan Stroh has served as the interim director while the city conducted a nationwide search, using Pennsylvania-based search firm Affion Public, that stretched through the summer months. Some of the primary qualifications for the job include experience with light-rail and transit development, and extensive leadership experience, according to recruiting materials. Laird said the city found a number of qualified applicants, and paring them down to a few finalists was a time-consuming process.

"We cast our net wide and found great candidates from all over the United States," she said.

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