Eric Shields, AICP, longtime Kirkland planning and building director and resident, passed away the morning of Nov. 23, after a courageous multi-year battle with cancer.
He is survived by his wife, Deborah; daughters, Caitlin and Emily; son-in-law, Mads; and two grandchildren. His work family at the City of Kirkland and dozens of friends and colleagues who knew and worked with Eric over the years were fortunate to be able to visit with him in the weeks before his passing.
Eric received his Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Washington and Bachelor of Arts degree in geography from the University of Oregon. He began as an intern in Kirkland in 1977 and came on staff as a planner soon thereafter. After a three-year stint with the City of Des Moines, Eric returned to Kirkland in 1992 to become the planning director. The position of planning director was later expanded to be director of planning and building in 2015.
During the 25 years of his leadership as Kirkland’s planning director, the city doubled in population from 44,000 to 88,000, its downtown grew into a walkable urban jewel on Lake Washington, and Kirkland’s reputation grew as a model for smart, well-planned growth. Eric was an exemplary leader of his staff, modeling and nurturing an organizational culture of excellence, respect, innovation and accomplishment.
“Eric’s legacy is that his vision made Kirkland the green, livable, walkable community that we all love. The City is incredibly grateful for Eric’s decades of dedication to this community, for his leadership as planning and building director and for the kind and compassionate approach he brought to his work and his colleagues,” Kirkland City Manager Kurt Triplett said.