Welcome to Jeff Thomas, Marysville's new Community Development Director. Thomas previously was Community Development Director for the cities of Sammamish and Bellingham, and has private and public sector planning experience. 

"We believe Jeff will be an amazing leader for the department," Chief Administrative Officer Gloria Hirashima said. "The city is poised for continued growth and we need strong leadership to guide complex land use decisions, planning and public policy." 

Thomas said, “Coming to Marysville is a great opportunity to help the city implement a lot of great planning work already underway.”

As the second largest city in Snohomish County and one of the fastest growing cities in the state, Marysville is planning for continued growth. Today Marysville has about 70,000 residents and is projected to add another 19,000 by 2035 with the need to accommodate homes and city services for new residents. In addition, city priorities for economic development include the attraction of new businesses to the Cascade Industrial Center in north Marysville and the redevelopment of the city’s Ebey Waterfront area. 

Thomas has been on the job in Marysville since Aug. 12. He replaces Dave Koenig, who retired in June after serving four years with the city. 

Thomas earned a Master of Public Administration from Seattle University and a bachelor’s degree in Geography from University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.