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Recruiting Vancouver’s next City Manager

In April, the Vancouver City Council launched a nationwide recruitment to hire Vancouver’s next City Manager. The City is searching now due to the upcoming retirement of current City Manager Eric Holmes in October.

Vancouver operates under a council-manager form of government, meaning the City Council appoints a City Manager to serve as the city’s chief executive. The role and responsibilities of the City Manager are defined in the City Charter and the Revised Code of Washington.

Hiring Process 

The City is committed to a transparent and open search. The City Council has formed a subcommittee to lead the search. The subcommittee comprises Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Mayor Pro-Tem Eric Paulsen, and Councilmember Bart Hansen. The entire Council will determine who will be hired.

The City has contracted with Bob Murray and Associates to help manage the recruitment. The goal is to appoint Vancouver’s next City Manager in early fall. The public is invited to participate by providing input that will inform the hiring process.

Recruitment and Selection Timeline. April; community input survey. May; build candidate pool. June; analyze survey data. July; interview finalists, candidate forums, make contingent offer. August; background checks, ratify appointment. September-October transition.

Community Q&A sessions with the finalists

The City is hosting two Community Q&A Sessions with the finalists for City Manager. During these moderated discussions, candidates will share their thoughts about the future of Vancouver, be asked about community priorities identified in a recent city manager survey, and answer questions submitted by community members. Questions can be submitted now at beheardvancouver.org/cmrecruitment. Written questions will also be collected from the audience.

The finalists will be announced the week of the events.

Community Q&A Session 1

Thursday, July 18

Doors: 6 p.m.
Event: 6:30 to 8 p.m. 

Co-sponsored by LULAC and the Vancouver Chapter of the NAACP

Firstenburg Community Center
700 NE 136th Ave.

Please RSVP to help us plan, please let us know of any interpretation needs.

Community Q&A Session 2

Friday, July 19

Doors: 8 a.m.
Event: 8:30 to 10 a.m.

Co-sponsored by the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber

Hilton Vancouver Washington
310 W. 6th Street
Pine/Spruce Room

Please RSVP to help us plan.

Spanish interpretation will be available, please contact us for other interpretation needs.

Finalists for Vancouver City Manager Position

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

Nancy Newton, City Manager, City of Springfield

Nancy Newton currently serves as the City Manager for the City of Springfield, Oregon.  With 24 years of local government experience, Newton has also held the following roles:

2020 – present, City Manager, Springfield, Oregon

2016 – 2020, Assistant County Executive/Chief Operating Officer, Sacramento County, California

2000 – 2016, Clackamas County, County Administration, Human Services, Oregon City, Oregon

Newton holds an Executive Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Organizational Leadership.

Lon Pluckhahn, Deputy City Manager, City of Vancouver

Lon Pluckhahn currently serves as a Deputy City Manager in the City of Vancouver, WA. With 30 years of local government experience, he has also held the following positions:

2021-present Deputy City Manager, City of Vancouver, Washington

2007-2021 City Manager, City of Marion, Iowa

2003-2007 City Manager, City of Platteville, Wisconsin

1998-2003 City Manager, City of West Liberty, Iowa

1994-1998 Region XII Council of Governments, Carroll, Iowa

He is a past president of the Iowa City/County Management Association and is currently serving as President of the International City/County Management Association. Pluckhahn holds a Master’s Degree in Community and Regional Planning, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with public administration emphasis.

Jonathan Young, City Attorney, City of Vancouver

Jonathan Young currently serves as the City Attorney of Vancouver. He has 20 years of legal experience and is a specialist in Washington Municipal Law. As City Attorney, Mr. Young leads a team of 34 legal professionals and advises Vancouver’s executive (City Manager) and legislative officers (City Council) on their roles, duties, and powers. Young’s accomplishments include: (a) Homeless Response: created the legal framework for Safe Stay Communities, Fire Impact Areas, and Ecological Protection Areas; (b) Emergency Management: insulated small businesses from adverse fiscal impacts of the pandemic by drafting exemptions from business license surcharge fees, establishing small business assistance grants, and creating the legal framework for outdoor parklets; (c) Equity-Based Prosecution Reform: proactively advanced numerous social-justice initiatives within Vancouver’s prosecution services; and (d) Climate Action: authored a zoning ban on large-scale fossil fuel facilities, catalyzing the adoption of Vancouver’s climate action framework.

Young has held the following roles:

2011 – Present: City of Vancouver, Washington

2008 – 2011: Benton County, Washington

2004 – 2008: Private Practice of Law (Non-Government)

Young holds a Juris Doctorate degree in Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting.

Community Input

A survey was opened from April 23 to May 15 to collect feedback regarding what is important to the community regarding the search for the next City Manager. The survey included five open-answer questions covering Vancouver’s challenges, skills and experience, management and leadership, community interaction, and general input for the Council to consider when making this hire. We received 190 responses (189 in English and 1 in Spanish). View the survey analysis.

Position Information