City Manager Doug Russell is departing Kalispell after 13 years overseeing the municipality’s day-to-day operations.

Russell was hired as city manager for Lakewood, Washington last month and will be assuming his new job Aug. 25. Lakewood is a city of about 64,000 people located south of Tacoma and adjacent to Joint Base Lewis-McCord. 

Russell could not immediately be reached for comment. 

Russell’s salary in Kalispell for fiscal year 2025 was $204,490 plus health insurance and retirement. He is expected to make $265,000 annually as Lakewood city manager, according to the Tacoma News Tribune. 

Lakewood City Council selected Russell in part because of his work on Kalispell’s downtown corridor, fostering economic development and completing park projects, the Washington-based newspaper reported in late June. 

His departure has prompted the search for a new city manager in Kalispell. A subcommittee of four members of Kalispell City Council will be formed to oversee the effort. They are expected to consider hiring a recruitment firm, according to a city memo.  

Council, which is responsible for selecting a new city manager, will consider the search committee's membership during its July 7 regular meeting. 

Before moving to Kalispell, Russell worked as an administrator in Lovell, Wyoming, Arkansas City, Kansas and Yankton.  

Russell graduated from Montana State University in 1996 with a degree in psychology and later earned a master’s in public administration from the University of Colorado.  

Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 or [email protected].