Stein to lead city managers' association

Sisters City Manager Eileen Stein has assumed the presidency of the Oregon City/County Manager's Association.

Outgoing president Chris Epplely of Keizer handed over the red lantern that serves as a badge of office last Thursday at the Sisters City Council meeting. (According to Stein, the lantern symbolizes the role of the president as "a beacon of light" - and the red is a note to proceed with caution.)

The president's term lasts one year.

"The board meets four times a year," Stein said. "The association makes sure that resources are provided to city managers in Oregon."

Those resources can be prosaic - sharing information about how different cities handle issues from dog licensing to code enforcement. Or it can involve navigating difficult or tricky working relationships.

"A lot of times it's just one-on-one counseling," Stein said. "Besides preside over the quarterly meetings of the board of directors, the president also presides over meetings of the OCCMA Range Riders, retired managers who 'ride the range' and meet informally with managers to coach and support them. Currently, we have several managers who are or about to be in transition in their communities and we are working with those managers on the personal and professional needs."

The president also helps to oversee and articulate the association's positions and approach on ethical issues.

"It is an honor to have been selected by my peers," Stein said. "Given that we have such a range in sizes of cities in Oregon, one of the things I hope to do as president this year is to try to meet the needs of managers from the largest cities and the smallest cities alike. There is such a different skill set and type of person that occupies these positions, and yet there are similarities as well. Working with a city council generally produces the same interpersonal relations dynamics whether one is the manager of Eugene or Shady Cove."

Stein has served as Sisters' city manager for almost nine years, starting in April 2002.

Prior to coming to Sisters she was a senior management analyst with the City of Springfield and had also served in the public works department and as an assistant to the Springfield City Manager.