Anthony Hemstad, a member of the Valley Medical Center commission who had to leave board meetings early to attend meetings of the Maple Valley City Council, has resigned as Maple Valley’s city manager.
Hemstad submitted a brief handwritten letter of resignation on July 17, the same day the Maple Valley City Council held two executive sessions to conduct employee reviews.
Hemstad was elected last year as commissioner of King County Hospital District 1, which governs the Renton hospital.
Traditionally, the board met at 3:30 p.m. on Mondays. The start time was changed to 6 p.m. so that the public had a more convenient time to attend meetings. But that new time made it more difficult for Hemstad to arrive at the 7 p.m. start of Maple Valley City Council meetings.
Hemstad had campaigned on more openness on the hospital board and suggested the board meet at night. In the ensuing controversy over the meeting time, the board voted to go back to the 3:30 p.m. meetings.
Reached by cell phone on his way back from a vacation to California, Hemstad said the earlier time “was continuing to be somewhat of a conflict.”
He was still arriving late for some Maple Valley City Council meetings. The council members “weren’t thrilled” with his late arrival, although he said they were “understanding.”
This spring, Hemstad faced deciding whether to end the conflict by either resigning from the hospital board or from his city job. He didn’t have to make that decision once the meeting time was changed back to 3:30 p.m.
But he said he did think a lot about what he wanted to do with his future.
“It was a bit of a midwife to the decision to move on,” he said of the time crunch.
On July 22, Hemstad contacted the Reporter by e-mail, saying he would be taking a vacation before looking at what he’ll do next in his career.
“In the short term, I’ll do some consulting for a bit while exploring the job market,” he said. “I’m not sure what exactly I’ll do long-term after this. “
Hemstad of Kent said in an interview he’s not thinking of resigning from the hospital board, but he added that “I guess it’s ‘never say never’.” For example, if he got a job in Washington, D.C., he would have to move, he said.
“I see my role on the hospital board as very important,” he said. “I intend to continue to carry that out.”
He’ll now have more time to spend on board issues, he said.
Maple Valley Mayor Laure Iddings said the city’s parting of ways with Hemstad was a mutual decision.
“He is going on to pursue his passions, which are his consulting work and his political career, both of which he is fantastic at,” Iddings said. “And it looks like we may be one of his first consulting clients.”
One possible consulting job is the “donut hole,” so-named because it’s a 160-acre site owned by King County inside the city off Southeast 272nd Street and 228th Street Southeast.
Prior to working for Maple Valley, Hemstad operated his own public affairs firm in Europe for close to a decade. He also served on the staff of then-U.S. Sen. Dan Evans.
Dean A. Radford can be reached at 425-255-3484, ext. 5050, or at dean.radford@rentonreporter.com.
