Four finalists for city manager

Four finalists have been selected from a field of 42 applicants to interview for the position of Sisters City Manager. The announcement of the four finalists was made on Monday, May 1.

Brant Kucera is the current city manager of Cannon Beach, Oregon, where he has served since November 2014. Kucera has 17 years of upper-level city management experience, including as borough manager of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and City Manager of Gladstone, Michigan. He holds a Masters of Public Administration degree from Northern Michigan University.

Martha Meeker was most recently the city manager of McMinnville, Oregon, where she served for two years. Prior to her tenure in McMinnville, Meeker built a distinguished career in the United States Air Force, where she rose to the rank of brigadier general and held significant management positions. She holds multiple masters degrees, including in operational art and science from the USAF Air and Command Staff College.

David Miller currently serves as the public works and community development director for the City of Folsom, California. Miller has 15 years of upper-level city management experience, including as development services manager for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and community development director for La Grande, Oregon. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture from the University of Washington.

Bruce St. Denis currently serves as district manager for Development, Financing, and Planning Group, a private municipal service management firm in Tampa, Florida. Previously, St. Denis served as town manager for the Town of Longboat Key, Florida for 15 years. He holds a Master of Management degree from the University of South Florida.

Twenty-five of the applicants were from outside Oregon. Telephone interviews were conducted with 18 of the 42 applicants and the field was narrowed to eight semi-finalists, five from Oregon and three from out of state. From the eight semi-finalists, the four finalists were selected.

Jensen Strategies, the Portland firm that has conducted the recruiting process, is doing background and reference checks on the four finalists.

The local interview process will take place over two days, May 22-23. On Monday afternoon, May 22, City staff will be meeting with all four candidates at a meet-and-greet. From 5 to 6:30 p.m. on May 22, the public is invited to an open house to meet the candidates, while enjoying hors d'oeuvres and a no-host bar.

Tuesday, May 23, each of the finalists will go through individual interviews with three different panels. Current and retired municipal and other government officials from Central Oregon comprise the first panel. The second group will be made up of a broad cross-section of community members, with the five City councilors conducting the third interview.

Feedback from all three panels on each of the candidates will be collected and organized by Jensen and provided to the Council members for their use during their final deliberations on Wednesday, May 24, when they will make their selection for city manager.