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Rob Karlinsey, a Gig Harbor area resident, was hired by the city to fill the position of city administrator. Karlinsey worked for the city of University Place for 12 years. Starting out as an assistant to the city manager right after graduate school, he later because University Place’s deputy city manager.
“He’s got the municipal experience and he’s got the energy and he’s demonstrated his desire,” Gig Harbor Mayor Chuck Hunter said in making the announcement. Hunter fired longtime administrator Mark Hoppen not long after taking office last year, stating differences in their management style and philosophy.
Karlinsey, a father of five who grew up in Tacoma, has lived in the Gig Harbor area since 2001, and spent childhood summers in the area.
“I like the environmental setting of the entire peninsula, and the rural feel,” he said. “Gig Harbor has so much going for it. It’s in a pristine setting, and it’s a regional hub, a well-known city with a good tax base.”
Karlinsey acknowledges that the city has one of the strictest set of land use and development regulations in the entire state, and that it requires a fine balance between preserving the community character and allowing growth. |
