Bellevue City Manager Steve Sarkozy will resign effective May 15. In a resolution passed unanimously last night, the Bellevue City Council has chosen Deputy City Manager Brad Miyake to be the Acting City Manager as of May 16.

“The City Council appreciates all that Steve has done for Bellevue,” said Bellevue Mayor Conrad Lee. “In discussions between the council and Steve as part of his annual review process, it became clear that both of us were ready for a change. During the past two weeks, we’ve been working on the details of that transition.”

The transition is already underway. The city seek a national search firm to find a new city manager who can forge a joint vision with the council, and will include opportunity for community involvement in the selection. Sarkozy will work with the city’s Leadership team in the transition.

“Serving the City of Bellevue for the last 12 years has been a great privilege,” Sarkozy said. “Bellevue is known nationally, and more importantly by its citizens, as one of the finest places in the world to live, work and play. This is due in no small part to the central role the city government plays in almost every facet of the community.”

City officials say that under Sarkozy’s 12-year leadership as city manager, one of the longest tenures of current city managers in the state, the city has:

· Developed City Hall as a centerpiece to Downtown and home to most of the city’s administrative operations,

· Brought together community and business leaders to transform Downtown Bellevue, through the commitments of Symetra and Microsoft, to name a few,

· Planned and executed the Bel-Red Corridor Plan for the re-development of over 900 acres into a transit-oriented concept,

· Earned national accreditation of its departments and numerous professional awards, and

· Driven down the property tax rate to be the lowest in the state for any major city.