Pete Mayer, assistant Mercer Island city manager and Parks and Recreation director, will be leaving the city to take on the Parks and Recreation Department of Vancouver, Wash., early next month.

The city of Vancouver, located on the border of Oregon, is the fourth largest city in Washington, serving more than 160,000 residents. The Parks Department manages nearly 7,000 acres of parkland.

Reflecting on his nine years with the city of Mercer Island, Mayer rattles off a list of several projects he is proud of: acquiring Luther Burbank from King County; the construction of the new Community Center at Mercerview; creating the Pioneer Park Forest Management Plan and expanding Island recreation to include over 100 programs per quarter.

None of these accomplishments, Mayer added, could have been realized without the vision and dedication of his fellow staff members.

“I’m most proud of my staff and their commitment to continuous improvement, creativity, hard work and sense of humor. They are leaders in their field and work extremely hard for the Mercer Island community.”

City Manager Rich Conrad, who hired Mayer nine years ago, said his expertise will be missed.

“Pete completely retooled the Parks and Recreation Department,” he said.

Mayer will be the fourth high-ranking employee to leave the city in a year. City Attorney Bob Sterbank left with severance pay in January 2008, and Deputy City Manager Londi Lindell was fired shortly afterward amidst questionable circumstances. Lindell is currently suing the city for sexual discrimination and damages associated with her dismissal. Lindell’s replacement, interim Deputy City Manager Linda Herzog, resigned in December of last year, taking on a position in Sequim.

Parks director to leave Island