POULSBO — The Poulsbo City Council approved Mayor Becky Erickson’s appointment of Karla Boughton as director of Planning and Economic Development, at its Dec. 7 meeting.

Boughton, formerly an associate planner in the department, had been serving as the interim director since Sept. 1.

The position became vacant on Aug. 23 when Barry Berezowsky stepped down. Berezowsky, a 17-year employee of the City of Poulsbo, had served as director of the department since Jan. 1, 2004. When he resigned, Erickson would only say that she and Berezowsky had “a difference in management style” and that “he no longer works here.”

Boughton has worked for the City of Poulsbo since September 1995 “in a number of different capacities,” Human Resources Manager Deanna Kingery said.

“Karla was hired as an associate planner and continued working for the city after she started her own consulting firm in 2006. She was rehired as an associate planner in September 2013 and promoted to senior planner July 1, 2015. She served in that capacity until her appointment as interim planning director.”

As planning director, Boughton’s salary will be $97,934 a year. Berezowsky was earning $107,015 annually when he left, Kingery said.

Boughton has a bachelor of arts in communications and political science from the University of Washington, and a master’s of public administration from Seattle University.