Mayor

Mayor Rob McFarland began serving his first mayoral term in 2020. Prior to being elected, he served two terms on the North Bend Planning Commission: from August 2007 through May 2015 and then again from May 2018 through December 31, 2019. He has also served on the North Bend Parks Commission. 

Mayor McFarland has served on several community organizations since moving to North Bend in 1997.  His volunteer service includes Encompass NW, North Bend Parks Commission, North Bend Planning Commission, Meadowbrook Farm Preservation Association, Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation. 

Mayor McFarland’s term expires December 31, 2023.

MAYOR’S OFFICE
The mayor is the chief executive and administrative officer of the city and serves as the official and ceremonial head of the city on ceremonial occasions. Functions of the mayor include:

  • Being in charge of all departments and employees
  • Directing the preparation and submittal of a proposed yearly budget to the City Council
  • Exercising the power to veto ordinances passed by the council (such veto may be overridden by vote of a majority of all councilmembers plus one more vote)
  • Making recommendations for council consideration and action
  • Presiding over all meetings of the City Council (mayor only has a vote in the case of a tie, except in the case of passage of any ordinance, grant, or revocation of franchise or license, or any resolution for the payment of money)
  • Reporting to the City Council concerning affairs of the city and its financial and other needs

sTATE OF THE CITY  |  a year in review

Thank you for being here this evening. It is an honor to share with you the 2023 State of the City. But before I begin, I’d like to take a moment to reflect – briefly –  on this three-year journey here in North Bend as your mayor.

When I took office in 2020, our community was just beginning to grapple with what swiftly became a global pandemic. Folks were scared.

The next two years we witnessed high rates of infection as the virus spread throughout our community.

To be frank, it was an incredibly challenging start to my term, addressing big unknowns from practically day one. I’m sure you can recall the collective feeling of uncertainty and fear, combined with new communication roadblocks. Truly, it felt like an uphill battle for all of us.

Yet, look at us now.

Here we are in 2023, my fourth year in office, and I still get to greet Burt Mann as he continues his daily walks through town. Forward momentum is being made on some significant infrastructure projects that have been years in the making. Our staff have now been providing in-person customer service with an open City Hall for nearly a year.

Our downtown is thriving, owing to three years of extra perseverance; blood, sweat, and tears of our local businesses and nonprofit organizations.

North Bend – and so much of our Valley – cultivates a community of care, a small-town sense of community that is both one-on-one, honest-to-goodness interest in the welfare of neighbors, while also extending beyond that. It involves care at many levels, be it the Snoqualmie Tribe’s stewardship of the Southern Salish Sea from time immemorial; be it our city’s innovative conservation efforts; be it the many human services organizations that continue to step up to increased demands in need. This community of care runs through the veins of North Bend – whether you’ve lived here your whole life, or 2022 marked your first year.

Now, let’s look back at some of the highlights and milestones of this past year, all of which could not be achieved without this element of care.

Read Mayor McFarland's full 2023 State of the City address here. Watch the State of the City Address at the March 7th, 2023, City Council meeting, here (beginning at 4 minutes, 40 seconds).

LOOKing BACK  |  QUARTERLY MESSAGES FROM THE MAYOR

History
Download North Bend’s mayoral history.