New Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tim Gallagher, 54, says that standing out in the crowd is the key landing a new job.
For the former Californian, that involved having his first interview for the Seattle position when he was in Oregon during a 2,600-mile, five-month trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from the Mexican boarder to Canada.
A lean, weathered-looking man, Gallagher said he also went through a second interview when he was taking a break at Snoqualmie Pass. That's when staff from the Mayor's Office picked him up and took him to Seattle to meet City Council members, he said.
"All I had was my pretty-worn hiking gear," said Gallagher, adding that he went out and bought some new clothes for his meeting with city officials.
The next day, he was taken back to Snoqualmie Pass, where he continued his trek. "It was definitely the most unique experience I've had," added Gallagher, who thinks he got the job because city officials fell in love with the image of someone willing to take on such an arduous hike.
Still, it probably helped that Gallagher worked for nearly three decades in parks departments in California, the last of which was as director of parks and recreation in Los Angeles County, he said.
But Gallagher took an early retirement around three years ago. "It was a quality-of-life issue. I'd be in the car all day," he said of getting around in gridlocked Los Angeles traffic. Rush-hour traffic in Seattle pales in comparison, according to the new superintendent.
But like so many people who retire early, Gallagher decided he wanted to do something with himself and applied for the Seattle job, he said. Mayor Greg Nickels nominated Gallagher for the superintendent position last September, and the Seattle City Council confirmed his position unanimously on Dec. 10.
New directions
Gallagher said he worked as a consultant on the Seattle parks department's strategic plan even before he was confirmed as the superintendent. "I think that's real important," he said of the plan.
There are a lot of good things in the city's parks system, but an overall vision for the department has been lacking, according to Gallagher. "If you don't know where you're going, there's a problem in getting there."
One sticking point Gallagher has identified is a tendency in the department to try and please everyone. "You can't do that," he said. However, on a broader level, the department also has to overcome a widely held opinion that the parks department doesn't listen to the public, Gallagher said.
He points to a consultant's plan to have a series of only four public meetings about the strategic plan as an example: "I looked at it and said it wouldn't work."
Instead, the number of public meeting about the strategic plan will be increased, and 150 parks staffers have been trained how to conduct them, Gallagher said. "The first thing we ask is, what's wrong with the department?"
"What I'm telling staff is we have to come to the public with an attitude that we want to listen to them," Gallagher said. "We have to build a relationship with the community."
That won't necessarily be easy, he conceded. Government and private-sector organizations have too often hunkered down into siege mentalities, Gallagher said of one factor.
Another factor is getting people in various neighborhoods involved in the parks system. "It's easy to energize people who are already using parks, but how do we energize people who are not users?" he asked.
"In South Seattle, it mostly has to do with energizing the immigrant groups that have come to Seattle recently," Gallagher said.
One focal point, he said, is what different neighborhoods want to see happen at their community centers, which are all run by the parks department in Seattle. The neighborhoods in the city are different from each other, Gallagher noted, "so we really have to look at that."
But one thing is clear: Having programs for kids in community centers keeps them off the streets and out of trouble, he said. California police chiefs he's worked with have told him that cities can spend money now for community centers or spend a lot more in the future for legal costs, Gallagher said by way of example.
Broader issues
Environmental sustainability and health and fitness are issues that are a real concern for him, Gallagher said. On the environmental front, that includes the kinds of vehicles and equipment the department uses and how money is spent, he said.
Health and fitness - especially for kids - is even more important, according to Gallagher. "This will be the first generation in history where children are expected to die younger than their parents," he said with a frown.
Gallagher blames the loss of unstructured play and the epidemic of childhood obesity, which has reached the 35-percent mark in Los Angeles, he said: "It's clearly not as bad up here, but it's still horrible."
That's a factor playing out in Magnuson Park, where Arena Sports wants to take over one of the hangers it already uses. "We don't privatize our parks," Gallagher stressed. "We bring in concessionaires."
He thinks Arena Sports programs are a good use in the park, "especially since we're left with horrible buildings that will need millions to fix."
The city also has to make a commitment to its downtown parks, something that's getting its start next year when a pilot program will be launched to staff them with park rangers, Gallagher said.
He also stressed how important environmental-learning programs are to the city. " Gallagher said. "You have your own laboratories here."
Gallagher said the parks department staff is ready for a change, and he knows the public is, too.
The new parks superintendent relishes the chance to make sure that happens as well. "It's a fun job," he said grinning.
Pacific Publishing, Inc. reporter at-large Russ Zabel can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com or 461-1308.
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