Lamas-Cole named Oak Harbor parks director

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 10, 2026

Oak Harbor has chosen a familiar face to lead its Parks and Recreation Department, promoting Recreation Coordinator Craig Lamas-Cole after a highly competitive recruitment process.

The City Council unanimously approved Mayor Ronnie Wright’s appointment Tuesday. The city received 36 applications for the role.

The position opened after the former director, Brian Smith, and the city “mutually agreed to conclude the employment relationship,” according to a city press release in March.

Human Resources Director Kristina Hines said Lamas-Cole’s experience, institutional knowledge and record as the city’s recreation coordinator ultimately set him apart. He will earn $129,108 a year.

“We had some excellent candidates and we had a really difficult time working through the last final two,” Hines said.

Lamas-Cole said he is eager to build on his background while keeping the community at the center of the department’s work.

“I just want to say I’m very excited to bring my experience with both City of Los Angeles and the City of Oak Harbor,” he said, noting he would “lead this Recreation and Parks department to great things through transparency and most importantly, community involvement — making sure that what we do is a reflection of the Oak Harbor community.”

The council members were enthusiastic about Lamas-Cole’s qualifications. They commended both the quality of the applicant pool and Lamas-Cole’s performance throughout the interview process.

Wright thanked Mayor Pro Tem Tara Hizon and Councilmember Eric Marshall for participating in the interview process.

“It was a difficult choice between you and one other candidate. But you definitely did an outstanding job in your final interview,” Wright said.

Hizon noted that department heads are expected to meet a high standard because of the expertise the city depends on, adding that reviewing Lamas-Cole’s qualifications was eye-opening.

“I had no idea he was so overqualified for the position,” Hizon said.

Marshall said Lamas-Cole stood out for his understanding of the department and his vision for its future.

“Craig, I think, is going to be the right choice to lead our department. He’s got experience with our city already. He’s seen kind of some of the pitfalls, some of the challenges we’ve had up to this point, was very frank about it, you know, and has some great ideas on how we can address it and how we can move forward,” he said.

Councilmember Bryan Stucky agreed that the outcome reflected well on the city’s workforce.

“I see we did quite a few applicants and still went with the internal hire, which says a lot, and is much appreciated,” Stucky said.

“I do pause when I see working at the Los Angeles Dodgers, as a Mariners fan, but I’ll let it slide,” he added with a grin.

In the interest of transparency, Lamas-Cole is married to Christopher Lamas-Cole, a sales consultant for the News-Times.