That is right, 10 months, multiple rounds of interviews and no successful candidate, or at least someone who would accept the job.
Like other big cities, Seattle has had a momentous year. 2020 has seen the pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests and some riots in portions of the city. Some stores downtown were broken into and vandalized.
Seattle OEM has resided in the Seattle Police Department (SPD) for many years, but not anymore. As part of "defunding" the police department, Seattle OEM has been moved out, but is still in transit. No final destination has been announced, to the best of my knowledge. The job announcement does now have the director reporting to the mayor, so maybe they will have a direct relationship (which they basically had before).
Way back in 2009 I blogged on the topic, "Should Emergency Management Report to Elected Official, CEO?"
Then more recently, "Where, Organizationally, Should Emergency Management Be Placed?"
Stay tuned for news!