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Progress
Sunday, March 24, 2002
THE GOVERNMENT: Top officials have several years of service to growing city RUTH LONGORIA THE OLYMPIAN
TUMWATER -- It's a team effort in this town that keeps city government running as smoothly as the waters flowing over the Deschutes River falls.
"I have a wonderful staff, and I can always count on them to do their jobs," said Mayor Ralph Osgood.
Technically a part-time mayor, 48-year-old Osgood runs the town with the help of City Administrator Doug Baker, 47, staff and City Council.
Mayor
"I don't do all of the work. I depend on other people," Osgood said. "I provide the guidance, leadership and empowerment, and I stay out of everyone's way so they can get their jobs done."
Maintaining good working relationships is important to Osgood.
"I have a philosophy of honoring the individual, even while disagreeing. You can have a strong discussion and still part with the ability to talk with each other," he said.
Osgood and Baker share that philosophy, Osgood said.
"There's a strong relationship between the mayor and the city administrator," Osgood said. "Doug has to emulate my ideas and passions. It's very important to have someone who is like-minded and in sync and can represent me to the community."
One of Osgood's passions is keeping Tumwater a family-friendly town.
"We have strong family- oriented places, such as the golf course and Old Town Center, and things for the children to do where we teach them values and ethics," Osgood said. "I'm strongly in favor of preventative programs, rather than waiting to take the corrective approach."
Osgood served as a member of the City Council for four years before becoming mayor.
In addition to being mayor, Osgood works full-time as assistant director for taxpayer account administration with the Department of Revenue.
He and his wife, Annette, have a daughter, Bree, who is a senior at Pacific Lutheran University.
"I have a very supportive family, and that's why I am able to get so much done and stay focused and organized," he said.
As mayor, Osgood is the chief executive officer of the city.
City administrator
Baker manages city staff, represents the city at meetings and chamber of commerce events and keeps the mayor and City Council abreast of the day-to-day issues and operations.
Baker, 47, grew up in Bellingham and graduated from Sehome High School in 1972.
City planning and structure have been of interest to him since he was a youth working in his parents' take-out chicken business.
"The city of Bellingham is made up of three different towns that were put together," Baker said. "The streets come together at odd angles. So, driving for the family business, I became interested in the street structure and why it was the way it was."
Baker built on that interest by earning a bachelor's degree in urban and regional planning from Western Washington University in Bellingham.
From 1977 to 1979, he worked for the city of Bellingham as a city planner.
Later, he worked for the city of Aberdeen and the Association of Washington Cities in Olympia.
In 1988, Baker accepted the position of planning director for the city of Tumwater.
He has served as city administrator since 1993.
"I always liked Tumwater," he said. "When I worked for the Association of Washington Cities, I traveled to a lot of cities and was always impressed with the beauty of Tumwater. I knew this was a place I'd like to live."
As city administrator, Baker performs a variety of duties.
"What I love about this job is that it's so varied. Every day I'm involved with a different department, whether it's the public works department one day or the fire department the next," he said.
During the week, he spends time with Osgood and City Council members to keep them updated on what's going on, he said.
"Ralph is a very active mayor. He does a lot of after-hours work and is a professional, competent person. He's a wonderful mayor and a great boss," he said.
"Tumwater is a great place to work because all of our staff works well together," Baker said. "This is a joint effort."
Looking back on the challenges of 2001, Osgood said the state of any community can't be measured by a single year.
"This is a long-term journey," Osgood said. "This is not a 100-yard dash."
After about seven years of planning, the Tumwater Town Center is ready to be developed, Osgood said.
Osgood also put public transportation high on his list of priorities. A city's core needs transportation alternatives in order to thrive, he said.
Ruth Longoria covers Tumwater for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5435 or rlongori@olympia.gannett.com.
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