Kalispell City Manager Accepts Position in Washington
During his 13-year tenure, Doug Russell has overseen projects aimed at revitalizing downtown, including the Parkline Trail. His last day as city manager will be Aug. 20.
By Zoë Buhrmaster
After 13 years of running Kalispell’s daily operations, City Manager Doug Russell is moving on to a “new opportunity” to serve as the city manager for Lakewood, Wash.
“I have nothing but appreciation and a feeling of being honored for getting to serve Kalispell over the past 13 years,” Russell said. “Just different opportunities emerge and this had some things that were intriguing.”
Lakewood is located in the South Puget Sound region of Washington, with a population of around 63,000, compared to Kalispell’s 31,000 residents. The Lakewood City Council selected Russell as a replacement after a nationwide search for their new city manager, who is retiring after nearly 12 years, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
During his tenure in Kalispell, Russell has overseen projects on revitalizing downtown and emerging development, including the Parkline Trail. He also served as a point person for the public on issues such as homelessness, helped support the EMS levy that passed last year, and helped with the hiring of new police and fire chiefs, among other citywide changes.
“I think you just look at where we’ve been over the last 13 years and see what the community has achieved in and of itself,” Russell said. “It’s kind of hard to list the different things. But I’m just very appreciative of having the opportunity to work, and for this organization and for this community because I think that they’ve really taken a proactive approach on the different topics that have come up over the years.”
In the 2025 fiscal budget, Kalispell paid Russell a base salary of $204,490, in addition to health insurance and retirement pay. In his new position as city manager of Lakewood, Russell will earn $265,000 annually, plus automobile allowance and covered moving costs, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
Kalispell councilors at their regular Monday night meeting were scheduled to discuss convening a sub-committee of council members to begin the process of recruiting a new city manager.
Russell’s last day as Kalispell city manager will be Aug. 20. He is slated to begin the new position in Lakewood on Aug. 25.