The Canby City Council met in a special session on Tuesday night and unanimously appointed current Assistant City Administrator and HR Director Amanda Zeiber to the role of interim city administrator.
The council also approved her receiving a 10 percent pay increase during the time she will serve in this role. And it’s pronounced “Ziber,” by the way. Rhymes with “fiber.”
Zeiber, who has been with the city since 2007, served eight months as interim city administrator in 2009 following the departure of Mark Adcock, and again five years later, when Greg Ellis left to accept a job with the state.
Ellis had reportedly recommended Zeiber as his successor, but things went a different direction. The council ultimately settled on Rick Robinson, whom they actually recruited out of retirement after a more than 20-year career in executive government in northern and central California.
Replacing Robinson was Scott McClure, an experienced administrator who had most recently served more than 12 years as city manager of Monmouth. But McClure lasted only four months before the council moved to dismiss him last week without giving a reason.
Per the terms of his contract, McClure received severance pay worth six months of his salary ($150,000 annually) and six months of health insurance.
The city used a highly regarded executive search firm, Peckham & McKenney, to lead the recruitment process that ultimately landed them McClure. Because his tenure lasted only a few months, the firm agreed to conduct a new recruitment for the city at no additional charge, besides direct expenses.
Mayor Hodson said the council will be meeting with Peckham & McKenney in the coming weeks to confirm the job description and candidate profile. They hope to find “the right candidate” and have them in position within the next four to five months.
