Washington’s new city administrator is starting in her role this week, excited to be a part of the projects and ongoing improvements of the city.

Deanna McCusker was hired by the city council in December, succeeding Brent Hinson who served for almost a decade before taking a position with Mason City. McCusker has Master’s degrees in business management and public administration, and was most recently city administrator for Cascade and Strawberry Point prior to that. She tells KCII that Washington seemed like a great fit as she desired advancing to a larger city government, while also keeping with a small-town feel, “Once I heard this job was open, I drove here, we drove around the community. And I’ve always been drawn to communities that have the squares, and especially when I drove around and drove through the square it was like, almost all the storefronts are full. And right now a lot of downtowns, you’re not seeing that, there’s vacant storefronts. So that impressed me a lot with the city.”

McCusker was also impressed with the city’s recent initiatives on housing and its focus on recreation with the Wellness Park and Kewash Nature Trail. She and her husband Ken are moving to Washington, and she’s excited to be closer to Kinnick Stadium and all the local attractions and commerce the county has to offer. Hear more from McCusker during today’s Halcyon House Washington Page on air and at kciiradio.com.