City of Keizer department heads sit to the left of city council at a Jan. 3 meeting (KEIZERTIMES/Joey Cappelletti).
Community members are invited to a public forum on Tuesday, Feb. 15 to meet Keizer’s three city manager finalists and ask them questions. The forum will take place in the council chambers and will begin at 6 p.m.
The community forum is part of a packed two-day schedule for the city manager finalists, who will also meet with city employees, department heads and councilors. Finalists will interview with city councilors mid-day on Feb. 16 and the council could make a final hiring decision as soon as that evening.
Last week, the city announced that it had narrowed its city manager search from 12 applicants to three finalists. The finalists include Adam Brown, a city manager in Ontario, Ore.; Eileen Stein, an interim department manager for Clackamas County; and Tim Wood, the City of Keizer’s current finance director.
The city has been without a permanent city manager since April of last year and the Prothman executive recruitment firm was hired in September of 2021 to undertake a nationwide city manager search.
At the community forum, each finalist will be given five minutes to introduce themselves and speak on any subject they choose. After, finalists will alternate in answering written questions submitted by community members.
Notecards will be handed out at the meeting for community members to write their questions for finalists. Anyone unable to attend the forum in person can submit questions by email to the city.
The forum will also be broadcast on KeizerTV (Channel K23 and online at KeizerTV.com) and the Public Education Government television channel. It is scheduled to conclude at 7:30 p.m.
All three of the finalists have extensive experience in local government. Wood has worked for the City of Keizer for 13 years and served as a temporary city manager in Keizer from April to June of last year – when current interim city manager Wes Hare arrived.
Brown is the only candidate currently serving as a city manager, having served for the past five years as the city manager for Ontario, which has a population of 11,000 compared to Keizer’s 40,000. According to a City of Keizer press release, Brown has close to 25 years years of experience in local government.
In an interview with the Malheur Enterprise last week, Brown said he hadn’t made a final decision if he would accept the position if offered.
“I am just considering it. It will be a heavy decision if the opportunity presents itself,” Brown told the Malheur Enterprise.
Stein has served as city manager in three Oregon cities in the past, including four years in West Linn, three years in Mt. Angel and 11 years in Sisters. Stein has worked in local government for close to 30 years, according to the city press release.
News tip? Contact reporter Joey Cappelletti at [email protected] or 616-610-3093.