Cottage Grove announces finalists for city manager position, invites public to help decide

Alan Torres, Eugene Register-Guard
·2 min read
Main Street in downtown Cottage Grove.
Main Street in downtown Cottage Grove.

The city of Cottage Grove has announced its five finalists for city manager and community members will get a chance to meet the candidates during an open meeting on Thursday.

All five finalists are scheduled to shop up in person at the event, scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Cottage Grove Armory. Those who attend should have the chance to mingle with the candidates and hear an "elevator pitch" from each of them. Residents are also encouraged to fill out comment cards which will be presented to city councilors before they select a candidate.

Richard Meyer, Cottage Grove's previous city manager, retired in September.

On Friday, the finalists will be interviewed in front of three panels: the city councilors, department directors and community leaders. The department directors and community leaders will similarly fill out comment cards for consideration from the city council.

A city manager is the administrative head of a city. The position has been compared to a CEO who answers to city councilors instead of a board of directors.

The finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

  • James "Jim" Hunt

    • Most recent experience: City Manager of Whittier, Alaska.

    • Other experience: City Manager of Seward, Alaska. City Administrator of Mt. Angel, Oregon and Onawa, Iowa.

    • Highest education: Bachelor's degree in Education from the University of South Dakota Vermillion.

  • Scott Meszaros

    • Most recent experience: President/CEO of Distinctly Fayetteville, the organization responsible for encouraging tourism to Fayetteville, North Carolina.

    • Other experience: City Manager of Seward, Alaska. Town Manager of Hope Mills, North Carolina.

    • Highest education: Master's Degree of Public Administration from Troy State University.

  • Charles "Chad" Morris

    • Most recent experience: Deputy City Manager, Director of Purchasing and Director of Information Systems of Niceville, Florida.

    • Other experience: U.S. Army

    • Highest education: Master's degree of Public Administration from Troy State University.

  • Michael Sauerwein

    • Most recent experience: Interim Administrative Services Director for Grays Harbor County, Washington.

    • Other experience: City Manager of Sheridan, Oregon and Medina, Washington. Assistant City Manager of Sammamish, Washington.

    • Highest education: Master's degree of Public Affairs from the University of Oregon.

  • Faye Stewart

    • Most recent experience: Public Works and Development Director for Cottage Grove.

    • Other experience: Lane County Commissioner. "Owner/President of several different companies."

    • Highest education: Some college studying Business Administration at Oregon State University

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on twitter @alanfryetorres.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Cottage Grove announces 5 finalists for city manager position