In 1977, Led Zepplin, at the height of their powers, stopped in Seattle on a world tour and played the Kingdome. The Seattle Seahawks was just two years old. Fans going to the newly built Kingdome to watch them play would see Steve Largent, Dave Brown and Jim Zorn. Seattle Slew won the triple crown, Dixie Lee Ray was governor, and the Eastside was little more than farmland. It would be many years before Microsoft would reshape development here – in 1977 the fledging company still had its office in Albuquerque.

And it was in 1977 that Leon Kos joined the City of Issaquah as City Administrator, and in the 33 years since then and now, much has changed.

Last week, Kos announced his retirement, after a long and distinguished career in perhaps the most important position in the city. As administrator, Kos has provided the essential link between the city’s elected officials and its staff, and the many outside agencies whose dealings orbit the city and influence how it is able to develop, its pressures and constraints, and its opportunities.

Though Kos’ involvement with Issaquah is an important part of its past, the city is now faced with a task that will be a critical part of its future – finding a replacement for a man whom many colleagues describe as irreplaceable.

The Mayor’s office will be working with a recruiting firm, Prothman, to search for the next City Administrator, a process which is expected to take four to six months. In the interim, current Deputy City Administrator Joe Meneghini will serve as Acting City Administrator.

“One of the things that made Leon a success was an ability to solve tough, difficult problems that didn’t appear to have a solution,” said Councilmember Fred Butler. The experienced councilor said the role of the administrator is a dynamic one – he or she needed to be connected and responsive to different worlds, from the business community to government agencies, residents and city staff.

“And it is important to remember that Issaquah is not an island unto itself,” Butler said, referring to the connections with other cities and state and federal departments that Issaquah relied upon. “Leon has been quite masterful in reaching out and representing our concerns, and building strong relationships.”

The councilors that The Reporter spoke with this week all agreed that the “jack of all trades” role would require a special person, and the city needed to be thinking long term before it made any appointment.

“Someone not close to retirement,” was one of the only stipulations councilmember John Traeger would insist upon at this early stage. “We don’t want to be going through this again in three to five years. We want to be thinking in decades. It takes a while to build those relationships.”

Councilmember Maureen McCarry said maintaining a regional presence would be a critical part of the role.

“These are very big shoes to fill,” she said. “With 33 years of knowledge, it is going to be a big challenge to find the right person to replace him. Before Leon, Issaquah was a very small city.”

The Mayor’s office is spreading the net far and wide – it is understood the recruiting firm will conduct a search spanning the west coast, whilst also considering suitable internal candidates.

Mayor Ava Frisinger said Prothman would likely adopt a “headhunting approach,” and would be very proactive in identifying and enticing the best candidates.

“I imagine the closest fit would be someone with municipal experience,” she said.

The recruiting and interview process will involve public outreach, with Prothman to consult a community group of 20 or 25 locals to gauge what kind of person residents and business owners want to see in the role. A community panel of about 10 people will also be involved in the interview process once a shortlist of candidates has been presented.

A number of councilors did say they had been impressed by several current City of Issaquah department directors, but none were not willing at this stage to put any names under the spotlight.

McCarry said “there is always good in change,” adding that although the executive structure of the city was working very well, she was always open to exploring ways in which the city could function better.

Issaquah employs the Strong Mayor/City Administrator form of government, similar to the City of Redmond, under which the Mayor functions essentially as a Chief Eexecutive Officer would in a company, with the City Administrator taking the role of the Chief Operating Officer.

In Issaquah, the Mayor earns $84,000 a year, and the City Administrator between $124,500 and $158,000.

Sammamish, for example, has a Weak Mayor/City Manager structure, where the mayor is much the same as the six other councilors. In Sammamish, the mayor is paid just $950 a month, slightly more than the other councilors. However the Sammamish City Manager earns $173,000.

Though none of the councilors said there was any interest at this stage to look at changing the executive structure in Issaquah, financial pressures mean they will be making sure they get the best value for the city’s money.

Frisinger, who described Kos as “a model among city administrators,” said that only if a salary survey revealed the administrator salary did not match the comparable market rate would the city consider adjusting what they would offer.

“I don’t think we need to make any adjustments,” she said.

Councilmember Tola Marts said it was important the city could offer a salary that would attract the brightest and the best.

“In this time of economic crisis, I can see how those (salary) numbers will look high to some folks,” he said. “But the City Administrator is effectively the manager of a fairly large company, the city. The COO of most companies this size probably earn more than that, even of a comparable nonprofit. We want to make sure we are finding talented people.”