Eugene council interviews six executive‑search firms, selects three finalists to advance

During interviews conducted as part of the city’s search for a new city manager, the Eugene City Council questioned six executive‑search firms about outreach, candidate diversity and deliverables and agreed to advance three finalists for further interviews with the full council.

Council President Greg Evans opened the session by telling the firms they were among the semifinalists under consideration for the city manager recruitment. After roughly two hours of firm presentations and follow‑up questions from councilors about outreach strategies, candidate screening and costs, councilors agreed to invite Bob Murray & Associates, CPS HR and WBCP back for a longer meeting with the full council on July 9 to finalize the finalist list and next steps.

The council’s discussion focused on three recurring topics: how each firm would recruit a nationwide — but West Coast‑weighted — candidate pool, how each firm would conduct community and internal staff engagement, and fees and extra costs that might be passed through to the city. Pam Derby of CPS HR said the firm would run a nationwide recruitment and “do as much community engagement as we need to,” and emphasized that…