The City of Ellensburg is excited to announce Jamey Ayling as the City’s new Community Development Director.

Ayling has served as the City’s Planning Manager since February 2020. He brings 21 years of experience in both building and planning to the role and has served as the interim Community Development Director for the past three months.

Ayling was born and raised in Grand Coulee and attended Central Washington University where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Geography and a double minor in Geology earth science and environmental studies. 

Most of his career has been in Eastern Washington with fifteen years at the City of Sunnyside, five of those years as the Community Development Supervisor, and three years in planning for Yakima County. He also worked as a planner for a year with Canyon County in Idaho.

“Working as the Planning Manager for the City since early 2020, Jamey has proven his commitment to serve the community with steadiness and excellence,” said Heidi Behrends Cerniwey, City Manager. “He is intimately familiar with important development opportunities and challenges facing the community. Jamey’s background and skills allow him to hit the ground running on several important projects facing the department too.” 

Ayling replaces former City Community Development Director Kirsten Sackett, who resigned from the City in May.