Recruiting Vancouver’s next City Manager
In April, the Vancouver City Council launched a nationwide recruitment to hire Vancouver’s next City Manager. The City is searching now due to the upcoming retirement of current City Manager Eric Holmes in October.
Vancouver operates under a council-manager form of government, meaning the City Council appoints a City Manager to serve as the city’s chief executive. The role and responsibilities of the City Manager are defined in the City Charter and the Revised Code of Washington.
Hiring Process
The City is committed to a transparent and open search. The City Council has formed a subcommittee to lead the search. The subcommittee comprises Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Mayor Pro-Tem Eric Paulsen, and Councilmember Bart Hansen. The entire Council will determine who will be hired.
The City has contracted with Bob Murray and Associates to help manage the recruitment. The goal is to appoint Vancouver’s next City Manager in early fall. The public is invited to participate by providing input that will inform the hiring process.
Community Q&A sessions with the finalists
The City is hosting two Community Q&A Sessions with the finalists for City Manager. During these moderated discussions, candidates will share their thoughts about the future of Vancouver, be asked about community priorities identified in a recent city manager survey, and answer questions submitted by community members. Questions can be submitted now at beheardvancouver.org/cmrecruitment. Written questions will also be collected from the audience.
The finalists will be announced the week of the events.
Community Q&A Session 1
Thursday, July 18
Doors: 6:00 p.m.
Event: 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Firstenburg Community Center
700 NE 136th Ave.
Please RSVP to the event to help us plan, please let us know of any interpretation needs.
Community Q&A Session 2
Friday, July 19
Doors: 8 a.m.
Event: 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Co-sponsored with the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber
Hilton Vancouver Washington
310 W. 6th Street
Pine/Spruce Room
Please RSVP to help us plan.
Spanish interpretation will be available, please contact us for other interpretation needs.
Community Input
A survey was opened from April 23 to May 15 to collect feedback regarding what is important to the community regarding the search for the next City Manager. The survey included five open-answer questions covering Vancouver’s challenges, skills and experience, management and leadership, community interaction, and general input for the Council to consider when making this hire. We received 190 responses (189 in English and 1 in Spanish). View the survey analysis.