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Wheeler city manager to leave March 28; finance manager to serve as interim while council launches recruitment
Summary
Outgoing city manager announced March 18 that March 28 will be his last day; council voted to appoint Finance Manager Maddie Pesner as interim and approved a recruitment timeline and ad plan for a permanent replacement.
The Wheeler city manager announced on March 18 that March 28 will be his final day in the post. The council accepted the resignation announcement and voted to appoint Finance Manager Maddie (Maddie Pesner) as interim city manager while the city runs a national recruitment for a permanent city manager.
City staff told the council the interim appointment is intended to provide continuity through the budget season and the pending recruitment. Council members discussed the expected workload and possible time commitments for the interim manager; the council and staff agreed the interim role would involve additional hours beyond Pesner’s current duties and that the council will discuss compensation details and formal appointment paperwork with the mayor and in a future meeting.
Recruitment plan and timing: staff presented two timeline options for a national recruitment. Both options included a six‑week posting window and background/reference checks; the shorter schedule projected a start date for a selected candidate as mid‑August, the longer schedule extended into late September. Councilors requested an accelerated timeline where feasible so the new manager could overlap with staff before Pesner’s graduate program begins in September. Staff said the posting will target League of Oregon Cities, WorkSource, ICMA and other government/job sites and will include supplemental application questions.
Interim duties and next steps: the council formally moved to appoint Pesner as interim city manager through the recruitment process; the motion passed unanimously. Staff will post the job as soon as council confirms the advertisement text and supplemental questions. Councilors also asked staff to prepare a short memorandum to Manzanita and other partners documenting the transition and current MOU status for interjurisdictional matters such as the joint water arrangements.
Council members expressed appreciation to the departing city manager for his service and said they will work to provide support to staff and the interim manager during the transition.
