The Canby City Council last week appointed former West Linn City Manager Eileen Stein to serve as interim city administrator, while a recruitment firm leads the search for a permanent replacement for former City Administrator Scott Archer, who left Canby on May 5 to accept a new position with the City of Salem.
Archer had last month announced his imminent departure after two and a half years with the city.
First hired in October 2020, Archer led the city government through several disasters, including the later phases of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ice storm and heat dome of 2021.
His tenure also included the completion of several major municipal projects, including the new pickleball complex at Maple Street Park and downtown railroad quiet zone and Grant Street arch.
In his new role as Salem’s deputy city manager for community services, Archer will oversee parks and recreation, the library, senior center, youth development, neighborhoods, sheltering and homelessness response, and other community programs and services.
Stein boasts more than 30 years of city and county management experience in all areas of local government, including interim business and economic development coordinator at Clackamas County, as well as the interim deputy director for the county’s Business and Community Services Department.
From June 2016 to February 2020, she served as city manager of West Linn, where she managed 125 full-time employees, oversaw strategic planning and collective bargaining agreements for local police and workers’ unions and secured $6 million in funding for upgrades to the Highway 43 corridor, among other achievements.
Stein had previously served as city manager of Mount Angel for three years and city manager of Sisters for 11 years before that. She is also chair of the PSU Hatfield School of Government’s Local Government Advisory Committee and a guest lecturer on the subject of public works management.
The Canby City Council also on May 3 welcomed the return of Canby City Attorney and Assistant City Administrator Joe Lindsay, who had been on leave since March after sending Mayor Brian Hodson and councilors a letter detailing claims of possible illegal or unethical behavior.
The concerns primarily centered on a potentially unlawful executive session the council held on February 15, which is currently being investigated by the Oregon Government and Ethics Commission.
Councilors last month appointed the Portland law firm of Beery Elsner & Hammond LLP to serve as interim legal counsel in Lindsay’s absence and in matters in which Lindsay may have a conflict of interest.
Staff was directed to begin the process of recruiting and retaining a new, permanent city administrator as quickly as possible. An update on the process is expected at the council’s next meeting on May 17.
