As far as I can tell, Michael Seiwerath is the nicest person in Seattle. Anonymous Slog commenters think so ("Michael Seiwerath should get a key to the city"). Northwest Film Forum board members think so ("God, I love Michael!"). Even random friends I happened to be chatting with on Gmail think so ("He is so adorable and so is his family").

Maybe that's why everyone laughed at me when I asked the obligatory question: Was it Seiwerath's decision to step down as executive director of Northwest Film Forum or was he, you know, asked to leave?

"It was both a surprise and, um, not a surprise," explains Alan Pruzan, NWFF board member and former president. "It's hard for someone to be in that position for such a long time at such a low salary. He realized that he wasn't burned out yet, but he could be at some point soon."

Nonprofit salaries are lean by definition—in 2006 NWFF paid Seiwerath, who has two young daughters, exactly $29,400—but Seiwerath says the money wasn't a deciding factor. "The pay's not been a huge part of my decision—I've been really good at living at this level for a decade... I've been here for 12 years and I feel like it's time for me to move on to something else. I feel really open to the future."

But even if the salary wasn't a factor for Seiwerath, mightn't it complicate the search for a replacement? "That's a real issue, and we've always known it's an issue," Seiwerath says. "It's a good time for a conversation about growing the budget and growing the payroll, and about expectations that a new person might have."

"The organization is strong enough to be able to field this as an opportunity rather than a devastating blow," explains Pruzan. "People of the caliber that we will be looking for will see it as a fantastic opportunity in a fantastic city."

The board is meeting this week to form a committee that will conduct the nationwide search. Seiwerath will stay for another six months. After that, he says, "I probably need a year, and the organization needs its own breathing space, and things will change under a new director, and that's great." Then, he says, he'll most likely join the board.

As for Seiwerath's career, he has no specific plans. "Maybe he'll make a movie, or maybe he'll do something entirely different," suggests board member Betsey Brock. "Maybe he'll become a gentleman farmer... But I have a hard time imagining what NWFF is going to become without him." recommended

lindy@thestranger.com