Submitted by City of Lacey
The Lacey City Council officially selected Rick Walk as the new City Manager during the Regular City Council meeting on July 6, 2023. The vote was unanimous to appoint Walk as the fifth City Manager of Lacey since 1974. Walk served as Interim City Manager since December 2022.
“The unanimous vote clearly shows that the City Council believes Rick’s credentials, background, and experience are the right combination to lead Lacey into the future,” stated Mayor Andy Ryder. “We are excited to see the City continue to grow and develop under his leadership.”
Prior to his appointment as Interim City Manager, Walk served as the City’s Director of Community and Economic Development since 2008. Walk has over 28 years of experience in city and rural county planning, previously having worked for Douglas County in the early 1990s before joining the City of Lacey as a project planner in 1999. In addition to planning, Walk has extensive experience in organizational administration, economic development, housing initiatives, and intergovernmental collaborations and partnerships. Walk currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Lacey MakerSpace Executive Board, and is a past President of the Washington City Planning Directors Association, and Past President of the Washington South Sound Section of the American Planning Association. Walk received his Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from Eastern Washington University and has an American Institute of Certified Planners certification.
The City started the City Manager recruitment process in late 2022 with the departure of Spence, who accepted a city manager position in Astoria, Oregon. The Lacey City Council hired GMP Consultants, a nationally recognized municipal executive search firm, to manage the City Manager recruitment process.
