Whitcom calls on Tara Murker for top job

PULLMAN — A communications manager for the University of Washington Police Department has been offered a job in Cougar country.

Tara Murker was selected Wednesday to oversee the Whitcom Regional Dispatch Center during a special meeting of the Whitcom executive board. The decision was announced by board chairman Adam Lincoln, Pullman city supervisor, following an executive session.

Murker was one of three finalists for the executive director position, which has been vacant since January. The other two candidates were Mark Bailey, interim Whitcom director and information technology director, and Dan Hally, a former Asotin County E911 coordinator and captain at the sheriff’s office.

After about 35 minutes behind closed doors, a group of Whitcom staff members and officials, including Bailey, were ushered back into a conference room at Pullman City Hall.

Lincoln said the executive board plans to offer Murker the job based on background checks, interviews and her experience in emergency communications.

“She brings 20 years of experience and is a good fit for the organization,” Lincoln said. “This is an awkward discussion to have in open session, especially for you, Mark (Bailey). This was a challenging decision, and was not a slam dunk in any sense.”

Board members thanked Bailey for taking the reins of the dispatch center when former Executive Director Patti Kelly stepped down seven months ago.

“Whitcom would not be nearly as held together if it weren’t for you,” Lincoln told Bailey. “You’ve done a great job working with staff and making sure things are running well.”

Murker, who lives in Puyallup, Wash., was not in attendance. The finance committee and human resources director were asked to begin a conversation with her about the position, which comes with a salary range of $100,000 to $125,000.

“I’m very excited,” Murker said Wednesday by phone. “When I came to visit Whitcom before the interview process, I met about half of the crew, and they are fantastic people. I’m very much looking forward to working with them and helping build that team up.”

Murker began her career at the King County Sheriff’s Office in 1994, where she worked for 22 years. In 2016, she joined the management team at UW.

“I started as a call receiver at King County and worked my way up from there,” she said.

In a text to the Tribune, Hally, a finance manager at Chipman and Taylor Chevrolet, said the board made a good choice.

“(Tara Murker) is highly qualified and will bring a lot to Whitcom,” Hally said. “I have worked with many boards, and the Whitcom board is top notch. They also have a great staff and need the leadership to move the agency forward for everyone who uses them. It was a great process, and the communities served by Whitcom should be proud of the efforts the board made to fill the position.”

In other board business, Asotin County is moving forward with plans to create a full-time E-911 coordinator and emergency management position. The county has been contracting with Whitcom for E-911 coordinator services for the past four years and now wants to use those funds for the new position.

Asotin County Commissioner Jim Jeffords, who serves on the Whitcom executive board, said the county needs more than the 17 hours per week currently allotted for emergency management. It makes sense to combine several part-time roles, including street mapping and E-911, into one full-time position.

“Overall, I think it’s a good move for Asotin County,” Bailey told the board. “They need more emergency management than they’ve had in the past.”

Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.