Police chief appointed Battle Ground interim city manager

The Battle Ground City Council has appointed its police chief as interim city manager. Robert Richardson will fill in as the head of city government while a search to find a more permanent city manager gets underway.

“We are developing strategies to recruit the most qualified candidates for the position of city manager,” Mayor Shane Bowman said in a statement. “Our confidence in Mr. Richardson as interim city manager allows us to focus on identifying the best person to serve as Battle Ground’s next city manager.”

City Manager John Williams announced at the end of last month that he was taking a similar job leading the city of Moses Lake in Central Washington. His last day with Battle Ground is Dec. 2 after serving as its city manager since 2010.

Richardson, who was hired as police chief in January 2011, likely will fill in as city manager for a few months. His first day in the role will be Dec. 3.

At a city council meeting earlier this month, Bowman said the city would be taking applications for six weeks.

“This is a process that a lot of us have not been through,” Bowman said at the Nov. 2 meeting.

A new city manager could come on board early next year.

Richardson will continue serving as police chief during his time as interim city manager.