Michael H. Martin, who served as Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Kent from 2000 to 2005, is Burien's new city manager.
The Burien City Council approved on Nov. 20 a contract with Martin for the position. He was scheduled to assume his new duties on Nov. 28.
Martin succeeds Gary Long, who resigned as city manager after the 2005 municipal election.
Assistant City Manager David Cline has served as interim city manager since Long's departure. Cline will resume his duties as assistant manager.
Martin, 54, was selected through a nationwide search in which city residents, staff and council members participated.
In Kent, Martin led efforts to revitalize the city's downtown core with the Kent Station-a 22-acre mixed-use project that is similar to Burien's Town Square.
The $140 million Kent Station project, largely completed this year, includes a multiplex theater, restaurants, boutique retail stores and in the future will have condos and high-end apartments.
"I'm excited about joining the community and look forward to working with the city team to advance Burien's agenda," Martin said.
"There will be no lack of challenges and opportunities in the future and I'm anxious to be part of it all."
Burien Mayor Joan McGilton said, "We're looking forward to working with Mike and continuing the momentum of the last five years of tremendous accomplishments."
Prior to Kent, Martin worked for seven years in the San Francisco Mayor's Office, first as a Senior Policy Analyst and later as the budget manager responsible for developing and balancing the city's budget.
He directed a $167 million rebuild of San Francisco's entire 911 system and created a new Emergency Communications Department.
Martin was a Management Analyst at the city of Fresno, Calif., before his San Francisco position and a reporter for newspapers in California and Port Angeles.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and conducted graduate work in Public Administration at California State University in Chico. He also studied Chinese language and history at the Beijing Language Institute in Beijing, China.
