New Washington Mayor Lilija Stevens working toward campaign goals in first week of office

WASHINGTON (25News Now) - Lilija Stevens took over the Washington mayoral seat from long-time mayor Gary Manier last week.

Manier held the position for more than two decades.

Stevens said she has appointed an interim city administrator, Dennis Carr, to head day-to-day city hall business. She said the city council is searching for a permanent city administrator.

Stevens also said she is currently working on implementing a goal-setting session for the city council.

“That is a process where we will involve the community and where the council will set priorities,” Stevens said. “We need to decide what the council wants, what direction the council would like to go in.”

She said the community has been a great support during her first week in office.

“The community has stepped up, and the department heads and staff have been fabulous,” Stevens said. “For a community that’s had one mayor for 24 years, it is a tough transition, and so far, everything has gone well.”

The new mayor also said she has made sure city council members have access to the meeting agenda items during the entire week leading up to their meetings.

Stevens hopes to update the city website, making it a hub for communication between city leaders and residents.

She is the first-ever woman mayor of Washington.

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