Peter Namtvedt Best resigns

Published 4:28 pm Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Shoreline planner Peter Namtvedt Best has resigned his post at City Hall to spend more time with his children.

Best, a proud father of twins, said he wants to stay home and watch his kids grow up.

“My kids are only going to be preschool age one time in life,” he said.

Best was responsible for writing the Shoreline Management Master Program. He created and ran the Bainbridge Island Shoreline Stewardship Program, a program focused on education and outreach about shorelines.

Best, who has been with the city since 2001, has not ruled out a return. He’s not sure when a possible return may happen, but it could be sometime around when the kids enter the first grade, or possibly later.

Best said he officially resigned on the 13th of this month. He will continue with the planning department through part of September.

Planning Director Kathy Cook is happy for Best, but she said it will be tough for the city to recover.

“He has such deep technical expertise, he has such an understanding of shoreline fuctions and shoreline habitat as well as our state regulations,” she said.

Cook said Best helped the city bring in significant money for shoreline projects in the form of grants.

Though no decision has been made as of yet, Best believes the city will find a replacement for him.

Best acknowledged that he was leaving at a tough time for the city. He was slated to be heavily involved in the writing of the Shoreline Management Program upgrade, which is required by state law to be updated by Dec. 1, 2011.

Best received his degree in Environmental Planning and Policy from Western Washington University.