Michael Grayum
Photo credit: Twitter

Interim Mayor JW Foster appointed Michael Grayum as City Administrator last night during the Yelm City Council session. Grayum is the former Mayor of Dupont and replaces Shelly Badger, who resigned effective September 1, 2015 to take another job after a stellar career in Yelm. Grayum was one of three City Administrator candidates interviewed November 16th and comes to Yelm with excellent experience and an outstanding résumé:
* Since August, a Managing Partner for Tacoma’s Pando Consulting Group.
* 2014-2016, Republic Services-Division Mgr., Seattle.
* 2008-2014, Puget Sound Partnership, Dir. of Public Affairs & Dir. of Communications, Tacoma.
* 2005-2008, WA Dept. of Natural Resources, Dir. of Government Relations.
* 2003-2005, Legislative Aide for the Washington State House of Representatives.
* 1999-2005, WA Commission for National Service, Commissioner.
Mr. Grayum served as the Mayor of the City of DuPont, Washington, from 2012-2016. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the University of Washington. He will take his Yelm post at the first of the year.


– Editor’s Note:
I was on the city administrator interviewer panels from the Yelm Business Assn. (YBA), invited by Mayor Foster to send a representative. I was extremely impressed with the thoughtfulness of Grayum’s answers to panel questions and his self-confident, composed manner. I know Mr. Grayum will bring an immediate salve to city employees who have been missing the foundation of leadership from the year and a third of a vacated city administrator post. The tense working environment from the former mayor that led to city employees overwhelmingly voting to be unionized will soon be a thing of the past. In the wake of Badger’s resignation, the mayors handling daily city administrator duties did not have the required skill sets, leaving the Dept. Heads and city staff “family” disintegrated, and they are a “family.” While the interim city administrator did an admirable job, this was for a 6-month period, with a transition in the city’s direction continuing to exist for another year, as an interim mayor and 5 councilor positions are open for the 2017 election. With Grayum’s experience, he will create the platform for the staff to have stability and provide them support beginning in early 2017, through next year’s transitions, and beyond. Our fine, dedicated City of Yelm staff deserve no less than a hands-on-the-tiller leader like Grayum, city employees who have been stretched to their capacity to hold their departments together.
My hat is off to Yelm’s public servants. THANK YOU!
I look forward to meeting with Mr. Grayum and sharing his vision with Yelm Community Blog readers.


The Yelm Community Blogger welcomes Michael Grayum and invites you to as well!