* City Admin. Michael Grayum announced the following to councilors July 25:
+ Financial Director Noah Crocker will be taking another position,
+ City Admin. Michael Grayum will also become the acting Finance Director.
* This blogger reported 2 years ago the revolving door of Finance Directors was an issue,
* If Crocker was forced out, timing was unfortunate as budget process was to have begun.
* If not, Yelm needs to conduct an exit interview on why Noah left, make public.
* No secret that Crocker worked here for a long time without proper dept. staffing.
* Councilors need to DEMAND a full audit of the city’s budget by an outside firm.


– This Blogger wrote this Sept. 22, 2015 about the city’s new Finance Director:
“With the loss of former City Administrator Shelly Badger and Mayor Harding assuming many of those functions (unpaid according to him), yet not posting the City Administrator position to seek a replacement, the hiring of Noah Crocker as Finance Director, who brings a sterling reputation to Yelm from Olympia, will provide some needed stability to financial matters, what with the leaking dike of frequent personnel changes at City Hall. Hopefully, Mr. Crocker will have a long tenure in Yelm, though the staff changes in this position after hiring previous qualified replacements gives one cause to reflect otherwise.”


– THANK YOU to Finance Director Noah Crocker for your service to Yelm!
While Crocker was hired under a different, then-beleaguered mayor 2 years ago, he brought sorely needed talents to a city hall operating without a city administrator. Crocker has seen many changes and I am sure, many unforeseen pressures he has had to shoulder that caused much stress. Working under former Mayor Harding’s dictatorial management style and with no city administrator, to then going through the last year of further changes in Harding’s resignation and subsequent appointment of an interim mayor, the hiring of a city administrator, no proper staffing in his department for quite a lengthy period, plus the millions of dollars in financing required to upgrade and maintain Public Works, yet with no current funding source, Crocker certainly saw a kaleidoscope in city hall these last 2 years. He leaves here enriched from his experiences and challenges and I wish Noah well in his future endeavors.


– Bottom line:
Yelm is in a crisis with what is financially required at Public Works, and now has a way-too stretched-thin city administrator carrying the load of another full-time job as acting Finance Director. City leaders need to be transparent with the public on the reasons for Crocker’s departure, the replacement hiring process, where this town stands financially, and that requires all due haste! Clearly many councilors were unaware at the loss of Yelm’s Finance Director, nor that City Administrator Grayum was now the acting Finance Director. With the interim mayor’s stated mission of transparency, I hope the public hears more about this turn of events at the council’s Study Session Tuesday, August 1, 2017.