Tumwater hires Paul Simmons as city administrator

The Tumwater City Council confirmed Mayor Leatta Dahlhoff’s appointment of Paul Simmons as the new city administrator at a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 6. 

Simmons replaces Lisa Parks, who was appointed to the role in 2023 by former Mayor Debbie Sullivan. He was among the finalists during the city’s previous search for an administrator in 2023. 

Simmons served as director of Olympia’s Parks, Arts & Recreation Department from 2013 to 2025. He currently serves as director of business administration and planning for Metro Parks Tacoma, overseeing finance, information technology, human resources, marketing and communications. 

After his confirmation, Simmons addressed the council. 

“I've worked in all types of local government for about 30 years, predominantly in the parks, arts and recreation side of the house. That means that I have a lot of a background in terms of leading with community,” Simmons said. 

“As city administrator, it's not really about me. My role as city administrator is to create an environment where our employees and the staff of this agency feel seen, valued, appreciated and an environment that sets them up for success, so they can deliver the best services possible for the community.” 

In a news release, Dahlhoff outlined her reasons for choosing Simmons. 

“Paul’s familiarity with our region, his ability to lead executive teams, secure funding, and work across  departments — and his skill at telling the story of a community’s vision and turning it into action — align perfectly with what we need in this role,” Dahlhoff said. 

He assumes his new role on Jan. 16 with a starting annual salary of $219,696, according to contract terms.

Tension before vote 

The council’s approval of the contract wasn’t a straightforward affair, with the mayor calling for a recess before the council vote due to a heated exchange with Councilman Peter Agabi. 

Agabi questioned the use of the word “template” in an earlier email exchange between the mayor, council members and City Attorney Karen Kirkpatrick regarding the employment contract for Simmons.

He argued that the council had not approved a template for the city administrator contract and pressed Kirkpatrick to correct the email for accuracy. 

As the discussion continued, Dahlhoff made a point of order, asking Agabi not to raise his voice toward Kirkpatrick and to “take a breather.” 

Dahlhoff sought clarification on whether Agabi objected to the contract, which Agabi said he did not. He reiterated his concern about the wording of the email, so Dahlhoff said they would return to the email exchange to correct it. 

The council proceeded with a motion to confirm the mayor’s appointment of Simmons, and to authroize the mayor to sign his employment contract. 

During the discussion of the motion, Agabi began to talk about the issue of needing to pay severance payments due to the ongoing staff changes and questioned at what point the council should step in to better protect the city’s limited resources. 

On top of replacing Lisa Parks, the mayor recently let go of Tumwater Police Department Chief Jay Mason.

“We are custodian for the citizens of Tumwater, we have limited resources. Of those limited resources that we have, we should not be in the habit of shoveling those resources (out) the door,” Agabi said.  

Dahlhoff made a point of order, noting Agabi’s comments were not relevant to the motion. 

Agabi interrupted the mayor repeatedly, telling her to “hold your horses,” prompting the mayor to mute his microphone and call for a recess. 

After a 10-minute break, the council resumed the session, with Agabi apologizing for his conduct. 

“It's not in my nature to have that kind of behavior. That's not me, so my apologies,” Agabi said. 

Dahlhoff responded in a conciliatory tone, saying the earlier confrontation reflected how deeply council members care about their work and the city. 

“I adore all of you, and we are transitioning. It is uncomfortable and it is challenging, and we're doing it together, so I ask that we all have grace and patience for each other,” Dahlhoff said. 

The council members later unanimously approved the contract for Simmons.