Between the departure of Sumner City Administrator John Doan and the hiring of a replacement, Diane Supler will preside in the capacity in the interim.

Doan is taking the role of the city administrator position in Tumwater beginning Jan. 26. Supler will become interim city administrator that day.

While she assumes Doan’s role in the city, Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow works through the process of hiring a new city administrator

Enslow said he doesn’t know when he will start accepting applications for a permanent replacement, but said the selection process will take at least two months.

Input from councilmembers, city employees and members of the community is to be considered and Enslow said he hopes to do some restructuring to find a more streamlined approach to managing the city.

John has been with the city for 18 years and so many of his initiatives are visible in the city, Enslow said.

Supler served as deputy city administrator beginning in 2006. She led work in finance, human resources, parks and facilities as well as overseeing the city during Doan’s absence.

“Diane is giving us the wonderful gifts of time and quality management. Because of her management, we can take the time to work together to decide who will be the best fit for Sumner as we continue to grow and develop together as a city under a future administrator,” said Enslow.

Supler said Sumner is a strong-mayor form of government in which the city administrator serves as the city’s chief operating officer, managing daily operations under the supervision of the mayor.

“This is a wonderful city to serve, and I’m looking forward to working with even more people in this new role,” said Supler.

She said Doan is working with her to ensure a smooth transition and the two have a strong professional rapport.

“The four years I’ve been here we’ve worked wonderfully together,” Supler said.

Enslow said he is grateful for Doan’s contribution to Sumner and said he leaves the city on a positive note.

“To be very, very clear there was not any pressure for John to do this,” he said.