During his report at the end of Monday night’s city council meeting, Centralia City Manager Kory Smith announced that he would be resigning as city manager and returning to private practice. Smith said he didn’t take the decision lightly.
“I want to thank Mayor Kuder and the council for their support,” Kuder said. “The one thing that I did receive from this job is the solidifying notion that the people of Centralia are good, they want good, and they’ll keep your feet to the fire if they don’t think that’s the case.”
Smith took the city manager position in April 2022. The city council and the mayor all thanked Smith for his contributions. Council member Barri Allen said Smith had plenty to be proud of.
“I’m going to miss you terribly, but you taught me a lot about city management, and I appreciate that,” Allen said to Smith. “You’ve taken the time, listened, and done a lot of things that I asked you to do. You have done fabulously for the city.”
Smith plans to vacate the city manager position in January, and will be joining the Crain, Miller & Wernsman law firm in Centralia.
