Shelton council names interim manager

Mark Ziegler, director of the City of Shelton's Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department, is the city's interim city manager as the search begins to replace Jeff Niten.

The Shelton City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday evening to name Ziegler to the interim position until a replacement is found. The Shelton native has worked for the city for 30 years.

March 31 is the last day for Niten, who departs after four years to be the city manager for the City of Mountlake Terrace. Like Shelton, the suburban Snohomish County city of about 22,000 people 13 miles north of Seattle has a council-manager form of government.

The Mountlake Terrace City Council on March 4 unanimously selected Niten. The Alaska native started his Shelton job in January 2019.

At Tuesday's meeting, Shelton City Council member Deidre Peterson nominated Ziegler to fill the interim position, with Mayor Eric Onisko seconding the motion. The unanimous vote followed. Onisko called Ziegler "the perfect choice."

"I can't think of a better person to keep this ball rolling we've started, we have a lot of projects," Onisko said. "I think Mark is the perfect person, he has a lot of experience in the city."

Ziegler, 52, addressed the council.

"I just want to thank the council, I want to thank Jeff, I want to thank city staff as well," he said. "This is a great opportunity to help in the transition here at the City of Shelton. I want to be a resource to the community, the staff and our partners.

"This is my hometown, it's where I grew up. It's an honor to serve this community and continue what we're doing here and leading the way in bringing the vital resources that are necessary to the City of Shelton, so I'm just honored to have this opportunity to serve the council and the community."