The city of Bonney Lake has added a staff member to help secure grant money.

Bryan Hartsell was hired in February as an executive assistant to Mayor Neil Johnson and City Administrator Don Morrison.

“One of my main duties will be grant writing for the city,” Hartsell said. “Beside grant writing, I’ll be busy working on other projects.”

After working in government as part of several city manager intern programs, Hartsell knew he wanted to return to working in local government.

A graduate of Brigham Young University, Hartsell served five years in the Air Force, including time as a health care administrator in 2000.

“Hospitals are like self-contained cities,” he said. “It was something I wanted to experience and had a great experience doing it while in the military.”

After the military, Hartsell worked at a hospital in St. Louis and from there began searching for opportunities to get back into local government.

Hartsell and his wife, Tyrene, have three children – two boys and a girl – and are expecting their fourth child soon.

“I learned about a lot of jobs on the market and applied for several positions in the Pacific Northwest,” Hartsell said. “We wanted to go somewhere and experience something different. We like adventure.”

Reach Dannie Oliveaux at doliveaux@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald or 360-820-8209.