Eugene council directs staff to schedule public forum for city manager search, endorses confidential recruitment process

The Eugene City Council on Sept. 8 directed staff to schedule a public forum to gather community input for the city manager recruitment and endorsed maintaining confidentiality for early candidate screening, voting 8-0 to authorize the forum.

Consultants from Bob Murray & Associates presented the recruitment timeline, outreach options and a draft job brochure. Valerie Phillips, a consultant with the firm, described a confidential screening approach and recommended holding community listening sessions and optional Zoom “drop-in” sessions before the application window closes. “To me, the more outreach, the better,” Phillips said.

The council’s vote authorized staff to schedule a forum “in alignment with the proposal presented by Bob Murray and Associates.” The motion to direct staff was made by the council president and seconded; the mayor called the voice vote and recorded the outcome as 8-0 in favor.

Why it matters: The city manager is the top executive for city operations; the recruitment process will shape which candidates apply and how residents can offer input. Councilors emphasized balancing candidate confidentiality with broad public outreach so prospective applicants — particularly sitting municipal managers — will not face employment risks for applying.

What the council heard and agreed to - Confidentiality during early screening: Phillips told the council she typically screens 8–12 candidates from an applicant pool she expects to be “around maybe 30 applicants,” and she recommended keeping candidates’ identities confidential through the first round of screening and initial finalist recommendation. Phillips said the recommended-finalist meeting is a confidential executive-session-style briefing for council members before finalists’ names are released for references, background checks and stakeholder interviews.

- Outreach and listening sessions: Phillips and councilors discussed multiple outreach formats: an in-person council-led public session, applicant-facing town-hall formats (Zoom or in-person), and short daytime drop-in Zoom sessions to increase accessibility. Phillips said the firm’s outreach includes targeted phone calls, LinkedIn outreach and conference outreach, and noted the brochure will be distributed to a national mailing list of more than 6,000 contacts.

- Brochure and posting logistics: Councilors generally supported the draft brochure but asked for minor edits (photo attributions and short captions identifying pictured locations, and some text trimming). The council did not take a formal approving vote on the brochure; instead, members agreed to provide edits and allow staff and the consultant to finalize the posting without returning for a separate vote. One councilor moved earlier to approve the job posting as presented but withdrew the motion after council discussion about edits.

Timeline and candidate vetting steps described - Application window: Phillips said the posting is planned to close Nov. 3. - Screening and interviews: The firm typically screens roughly 8–12 candidates (of an expected pool near 30), interviews screened candidates for about an hour each, and provides a confidential packet to council for a recommended-finalist meeting that can run about 90 minutes. - Finalist stage: After council narrows finalists (roughly 2–3), the finalists’ councils would be notified, references and background checks performed, and stakeholder interviews and meet-and-greets would be scheduled prior to public finalist interviews.

Council concerns and context Councilors repeatedly supported confidentiality for early rounds so current managers and deputies would not face professional risks for applying. Councilor Groves said, “I appreciate you wanting to have the confidentiality for the candidates. I think that’s incredibly important.” Several councilors also asked that the recruitment materials highlight distinctive city services (for example, that Eugene operates an airport) and requested captions identifying photo locations used in the brochure.

Formal actions and next steps - Council directed staff to schedule a public forum to collect input consistent with the consultant’s proposal; motion passed 8-0. The council president moved the directive; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. - A separate motion to approve the job posting as presented was withdrawn after council members requested the ability to submit minor edits; staff and the consultant will finalize the brochure and place ads without returning for a formal vote.

Administrative notes and process clarity Phillips told council that candidate names would not be released until later in the process and that recommended finalists would be the subject of a confidential briefing. Councilors and staff agreed to coordinate dates for the public forum and for any Zoom drop-in listening sessions. The firm reported it already had two applicants before brochure placement and that it will use additional outreach (conferences, direct calls, social media) to expand the candidate pool.

The council’s authorization to schedule a forum is intended to allow flexible scheduling by staff in consultation with the consultant; no single, date-certain forum was approved during the Sept. 8 meeting.