Councilors on Jan. 13 interviewed three finalists for Eugene’s city manager job and pressed them on how they would handle funding shortfalls for homelessness and climate work, the use of automated license-plate readers (ALPR), and the city’s approach to artificial intelligence.

The session began with Bob Murray & Associates outlining the recruitment process and timeline. Jeff Mori of the firm said the search opened in September, drew about 50 applicants and produced a set of finalists after local interviews and a Nov. 24 recommended-finalists meeting.

Assistant City Manager Matt Rodriguez, one finalist and a 21-year Eugene employee, told the council he has led negotiations on downtown riverfront projects and the city hall acquisition and framed regional partnership as central to delivering federal grants and infrastructure projects. “I am currently the assistant city manager for the city of Eugene,” Rodriguez said, describing work with EWEB, Lane County and Springfield on projects such as Franklin Boulevard and Hunsaker Road.

On homelessness and climate, Rodriguez pointed to recent losses in shelter funding in Lane County and urged creative financing and stronger state and federal advocacy. He described standing up shelter beds during the COVID response and said the city is exploring alternative housing models, including detached single-room-occupancy units. On policing technology, Rodriguez recalled council direction to stop an ALPR contract and said, “we turned those cameras off,” adding that any future use should be limited by vendor safeguards and compliance with Oregon sanctuary law.

Jenny Hariyama, a former Beaverton city manager, emphasized building intergovernmental agreements and legislative relationships to protect projects from shifting federal priorities. She described negotiating a way to replace a lost $2–3 million federal earmark for a deeply affordable senior housing project by pursuing state capital construction grants and legislative advocacy. On development trade-offs, Hariyama offered a community-benefits approach, saying she has negotiated developer contributions; “we were able to negotiate $4,000,000 to invest in a CIP project,” she said, pointing to how negotiations can yield locally targeted investments.

Hariyama also discussed equity work in Beaverton, where she said an equity office, a CIP prioritization lens and a tenant-improvement program helped target resources to underserved areas. On technology, she urged guardrails for AI and vendor accountability for law enforcement systems, and she stressed that human review must remain part of any AI-driven reporting.

Martha (surname not provided in the transcript) focused on the importance of data-driven, defensible policies when federal directives clash with local priorities. She said her jurisdictions have chosen not to alter equity language in the face of federal pressure but have doubled down on documenting actions with data. On AI, Martha described using tools that draw exclusively on city data to avoid sharing sensitive information externally, retaining query records for public-records purposes and disclosing AI assistance on city materials.

All three finalists emphasized organizational culture: improving internal communication, clarifying priorities and supporting frontline supervisors. Candidates proposed structured council work planning and public engagement exercises that force trade-offs and surface community priorities rather than assuming a single hierarchy of services.

Councilors did not take action or vote on a hire during the special meeting; the recruitment consultant will provide rankings and background information before council deliberations and an executive session scheduled the next day.