Consultant tells Tumwater council to rebuild trust, improve communication before leadership change

Dr. Wendy Frazier, an organizational consultant, briefed the Tumwater City Council on July 22 after hour‑long interviews she conducted with each council member. She summarized themes and recommended next steps to strengthen trust, communication and decision‑making as the council moves toward a leadership change.

"I asked everybody about, you know, why did you want to be a member of the council? Why serving the city mattered to you?" Frazier said, noting a consistent "North Star" among members — a desire to serve citizens — that could anchor reforms to council processes and interactions.

Frazier told the council she found five cross‑cutting areas to address: purpose and roles, how work gets done (process), problem solving, communication patterns and interpersonal dynamics. She said most members view communications among council colleagues as generally respectful, but several interviewees cited recurring pinch points: surprises from late items, perceived triangulation or passive‑aggressive behavior, and episodes that have eroded trust. "If things go unresolved, they're going to continue to surface," she said, and added that in her experience "it took groups on average 6 to 36 months to repair and strengthen trust."

Recommended near‑term actions included reminders and training on communication best practices, clarifying committee roles and onboarding for new council members, a public‑comment tracking refresh, confidential facilitated conversations (described as neutral, structured sessions) for relationships that need repair, and use of a values‑based tool for reframing difficult conversations. Frazier offered materials and said she could support some sessions before the end of the year and additional work after the council’s next retreat.

Council members responded that they found the review useful and debated logistics. Several said they preferred an in‑person, longer session and expressed concern about scheduling around summer commitments and the council recess; some favored starting the work with existing committees rather than convening the full council immediately. Councilmember Michael (first name used in transcript) said he would remain on the council for five more months and welcomed steps to improve interaction during that period. Councilmember Jefferson and others emphasized including senior staff in any future, intentional sessions so leadership and staff share commitments to improved communication.

No formal action or vote was taken; the consultant’s report is advisory. Councilmembers asked staff to work on scheduling and to return with options for one or more in‑person sessions (some suggested timing after the summer recess), a plan for onboarding and committee membership, and possible facilitated conversations focused on key relationships.