Spokane’s acting Chief Information Officer Michael Sloon retired last week, ending his tenure at the city’s Office of Information Technology. In a phone interview with Government Technology, Dan Wordell, the city’s information security officer, confirmed Sloon’s last day was Oct. 1.
Laz Martinez, who was already the city’s director of information technology, has added the title of acting CIO after being “accepted by the Spokane City Council,” according to Wordell. Although the position of CIO is currently funded, Wordell said no recruitment for Sloon’s permanent replacement is planned until 2025 at the earliest.
During Sloon’s 15-year tenure with the city, he led a team of more than 68 IT professionals, overseeing the development and implementation of various technology solutions. His leadership spanned several areas including cybersecurity, enterprise network operations, system and database administration, desktop support, and business continuity.
Sloon referenced his retirement last week via a LinkedIn post, detailing his time at the city.
“Serving the city of Spokane: 15 years, 6 months, 22 days ... ,” his post read in part. “Served four mayors/Two titles (IT Director and CIO) ... .” Prior to his announcement, he joined fellow podcaster Michael Hamilton, founder and CISO of Critical Insight, on Mike and Mike on the Mics, to discuss IT topics including cybersecurity warnings on water systems and the National Institute of Standards and Technology's new stance on changing passwords.
One of Sloon’s accomplishments during his time as acting CIO was directing the early adoption of energy-saving initiatives through technology. As director of Management Information Systems, he led the integration of power management software into PCs across city agencies. Prior to joining Spokane, which is home to more than 230,000, Sloon was a senior manager for Yakima County, Wash., for more than 12 years.
