New Yakima City Manager On The Job On Tuesday

Don Cooper will officially begin his duties as the new Yakima city manager on Tuesday, September 6th. Cooper will take his oath of office at the beginning of the City Council meeting, which will start at 6:00 pm in the Council Chambers at Yakima City Hall.

Cooper will be available to talk with media during the City Media Briefing, which will take place at 10:00 am on Tuesday (also in the Council Chambers).

Cooper replaces Dick Zais who retired in July of this year after serving for 32 years as Yakima city manager.

Cooper has over 30 years experience as a city manager in Colorado and Florida. In his most recent governmental position, he served as the city manager of Port St. Lucie, Florida from 1991 to 2010. Over that period, the city grew in population from 56,000 to 165,000.

During Cooper’s tenure, Port St. Lucie ranked as the safest city in Florida with a population above 50,000 for seven consecutive years. Earlier this year Cooper and his wife Linda celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary and have raised two children, Virginia and Ken. Cooper also has two grandchildren.

Cooper was one of 3 finalists for the job, all of whom were interviewed for the position by the Council, City department directors, and a community member panel on July 12th and 13th. Tim Hacker, who most recently was the city manager in Mesquite, Nevada, and Jim Payne, who worked as the city manager of Rio Rancho, New Mexico until earlier this year, were the other finalists.