Council Member McManis says sewer lawsuit must be resolved, pledges budget transparency

Council Member McManis outlined resolving the city’s lawsuit with the sewer district and improving budget transparency as his top priorities during a 30-minute interview with the Lake Stevens City Council on June 10.

McManis, who has served locally on civil service and salary commissions and said he has lived in the Lake Stevens area for more than 20 years, told the council he would “either need to resolve that or move on from it,” referring to the dispute with the sewer district and adding that the litigation appears to have escalated because of personalities and is “costing taxpayers a lot.”

The interview panel asked standard questions prepared by Deputy Clerk Weaver about policy priorities, experience with local government, and how he would handle ethical scrutiny. McManis said his background in negotiation — from federal to local settings — is a core strength and that he aims to broker agreements by “get[ting] to yes” through listening and targeted compromise.

Why it matters: McManis framed the sewer dispute as both a legal and political drag on the city’s resources; resolving it would affect near-term capital decisions and potentially free staff attention for other priorities. He also raised operational budget practices as a second priority, saying staff and council should scrutinize requests such as vehicle purchases and consider interim work-arounds to avoid inflating long-term budget commitments.

On public safety, housing and infrastructure, McManis stressed familiar local themes: he called public safety “number one,” cited the need for fiscal discipline across general and capital funds, and said Lake Stevens faces constraints on building new affordable housing because of limited land. Using travel time to Frontier Village as an illustration of growth-related congestion, he said investing in infrastructure and parks remains important as the city grows.

McManis confirmed he intends to run for mayor in 2027 regardless of whether he is appointed now. He described six years of prior service as a civil service/salary commissioner, involvement with local boards and the North Sound Police Foundation, and volunteer work with schools and community events as preparation for the role.

When asked about ethics and potential criticism of an appointment, McManis said he has recused himself from “this whole process,” and described recusal as an example of how he addresses conflicts of interest. On making difficult decisions, he contrasted reversible choices (a “two-way door”) with irreversible ones (a “one-way door”) and said he would listen, gather input, and be willing to change course if warranted.

Deputy Clerk Weaver led the panel’s questions and reminded the candidate of the 30-minute structure and two-minute warnings; the council approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session. After McManis finished his answers, the council thanked him and took a short break before the next interview.

What’s next: The panel will complete the remaining two interviews at this special meeting and then go into executive session to discuss next steps in the appointment process.