Peter Mayer

Experience

• 

  City of Mercer Island

  Sept 2006 - Mar 2009

  Assistant City Manager | Parks and Recreation Director

  My dual leadership responsibilities in this position included managing parks and recreation operations and directing citywide GIS, IT, and capital programs. I advised the City Manager and Council on policy, capital planning, and labor strategy while guiding a $35M CIP and $4M parks budget. In addition, I oversaw the construction and opening of a $13.1M community center while modernizing city technology systems.

• 

  Vancouver-Clarks Parks and Recreation

  Apr 2009 - Jul 2012

  Director

  I led a joint city-county parks and recreation agency serving 430,000 residents, managing 190 parks, 3 community centers, and 65 miles of trails. With oversight of a $17M budget, 75 FTEs, and 350+ seasonal employees, I delivered capital development, program planning, and policy guidance. My most challenging effort was co-leading a city-wide process to address a $32 million dollar budget deficit that included extensive community and business outreach, internal staff workshops and negotiation with multiple labor groups. Show less

• 

  Snohomish Health District

  Jul 2012 - Apr 2017

  Deputy Director | Chief Operating Officer

  In this role, I managed daily operations for a municipal health agency serving 745,000 residents, leading divisions including Finance, HR, Policy, Communications, IT, and Public Health. I also directed emergency preparedness and incident response, including multi-county coordination for natural disasters and infectious disease threats. Additionally, I developed a countywide funding strategy to secure $1.1M per year from local governments to support addiction, mental health, and homelessness prevention programs. Show less

• 

  Metro Parks Tacoma

  Apr 2017 - Mar 2021

  Deputy Executive Director

  I led internal operations for a nationally accredited and award-winning agency serving 213,000 residents. My scope included HR, IT, Communications, Finance, Risk, Public Affairs, and intergovernmental relations. I co-managed COVID-19 response, DEI implementation, asset management planning, and fiscal strategy across 2,700 acres, 2 zoos, a nature center, and more. One of my most significant initiatives was forming a cross-agency Equity Team that embedded DEI priorities in hiring, procurement, and community engagement. Show less

• 

  Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

  Mar 2021 - Oct 2021

  Director

  As agency head, I directed a 1,000-person workforce and oversaw a $212M operating and $103M capital budget across 137,000 acres and 125 state parks. I managed a leadership team spanning operations, development, HR, policy, and communications, and partnered with the Governor’s Office, legislators, and tribal leaders. A key contribution was launching the agency’s first DEI strategic plan and recruiting its inaugural DEI Director.

• 

  Pacific Solution Strategies

  Mar 2022 - now

  Independent Consultant

  Through my consultancy, I advise local governments and nonprofits on business strategy, workforce planning, government relations, and coalition building. Projects include talent acquisition and retention strategies, labor forecasting, annual work planning and budget forecasting. My most rewarding engagement has been helping a small city build its first workforce development strategy from the ground up.

• 

  City of Tukwila

  Aug 2022 - now

  My role with the City is to stabilize streets, water, sewer, stormwater, utilities, fleet, and public facilities operations while I manage engineering, design, and maintenance teams to ensure infrastructure integrity and long-term sustainability. I continue as the Deputy City Administrator and oversee Technology and Innovation Services, Emergency Management, Safety and Risk Management, Capital Programs, and the Parks and Recreation department. My major contributions include launching a biennial budget process after the departure of key finance leaders, delivering a $295M Capital Improvement Program and leading the development of a utility rate and fee model. Show less Appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council, I led a department serving over 20,000 residents through parks, recreation programs, cultural services, and community facilities. I supported the Arts Commission, Parks Commission, and Library Advisory Board and managed 150 acres of open space, including Foster Golf Links and the Tukwila Community Center. I quickly formed a department leadership team, identified key priority areas informed by staff interviews and championed an organizational assessment process supporting staff development and created a new department work plan. Show less

  • Deputy City Administrator | Interim Public Works Director

    Jun 2024 - now

  • Deputy City Administrator | Parks and Recreation Director

    Apr 2024 - May 2024

  • Parks and Recreation Director

    Jan 2024 - Mar 2024

  • Interim Deputy City Administrator & Parks and Recreation Director

    May 2023 - Dec 2023

  • Parks and Recreation Director

    Jan 2023 - Apr 2023

  • Interim Parks and Recreation Director

    Aug 2022 - Dec 2022