Fisher to leave as city administrator

Saying it is time to be closer to family, Cheney City Administrator Arlene Fisher has decided to step down after over six years with the city and accept the job of city manager with Western Washington’s city of Mountlake Terrace. She is the second department head to leave Cheney, with Paul Simmons stepping down as Parks and Recreation Director in November 2013 to take a similar position with the city of Olympia.

Fisher’s move was announced via a press release on Mountlake Terrace’s website, Jan. 28, after a full day of interviews with staff, department heads and council members, Jan. 25. Fisher was one of 65 applicants for the position and one of three finalists, selected by the City Council pending “approval of an employment contract with mutually agreeable terms.”

Prior to coming to Cheney in January 2008, Fisher was director of finance and administration for seven years at the city of Liberty Lake. She holds a master’s degree in public administration along with a bachelor’s of arts degree in business/finance from Eastern Washington University and is a credentialed city manager with the International City/County Management Association.

Fisher said she and her husband have children living in the Puget Sound area, and decided that now was a good time to be closer to them s