The city of Canby has announced three finalists to replace former City Administrator Scott McClure, who was terminated in February after barely four months on the job.
Officially dismissed for no cause, McClure left with six months’ salary and benefits pursuant to his contract. The decision to terminate him had followed a meeting in executive session and was 5-1, with only Councilor Traci Hensley voting against his dismissal. No reason was given.
To replace him, the city is reusing the same executive search firm that landed them McClure, Peckham & McKenney, a highly regarded outfit that agreed to conduct a new recruitment process at no additional charge except direct expenses.
A nationwide search yielded 75 applicants — significantly more than the first go-round — which have been winnowed down to three finalists the city announced Wednesday: Scott Archer, Brian Bosshardt and Randy Robertson.
Scott Archer
Archer has spent four years as director of NCPRD, a network of more than 75 parks and recreational opportunities in Happy Valley, Milwaukie and the surrounding areas.
NCPRD serves over 116,000 residents and includes the six-mile Trolley Trail, Mount Talbert Nature Park, North Clackamas Park, Hood View Sports Complex, Milwaukie Center and Aquatic Park.
Archer previously spent 12 years with the City of Oregon City, most recently as its community services director, where he oversaw the pool, Pioneer Adult Community Center, a 55-acre cemetery, 37 parks and even historical properties like the Ermatinger House.
From 2009 to 2012, Archer served as a board member for the National Recreation and Parks Association’s Pacific Northwest region, and is a former president of the board of directors for Oregon Recreation and Parks Association.
Prior to his work for Oregon City, Archer served as parks and recreation director for the cities of Medford, Ore., and Ellensburg, Wash.
Archer has a bachelor of science in health and human performance, and sport science management.
Brian Bosshardt
Bosshardt served as city manager in Bedford, Texas, from April 2017 until January of this year and has more than 20 years of local government experience.
He has served a range of administrative and managerial positions, including as organization development administrator for the City of Chandler, Ariz., and deputy county manager for the Incorporated City & County of Los Alamos, New Mexico.
His job in Texas ended in what all parties described as a mutually agreed upon “parting of the ways.”
The mayor of Bedford told reporters that Bosshardt was not fired, but that “the City of Bedford and Brian Bosshardt have mutually agreed that he will no longer be serving in a City Manager role, effective immediately.”
The decision followed a meeting in executive session and was 5-2, with two council members voting against the agreement.
Bosshardt earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hamline University and a master’s degree in public administration from Arizona State University.
Randy Robertson
Robertson has served as the city administrator of Aberdeen since 2016, including a sizable contract extension he received two years ago.
He is a former U.S. Army officer who retired after 24 years of service, after which he served as a brigade executive/chief of staff in Europe from 2001-05, and chief of staff for the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico from 2005-06.
From there, he went on to serve as a city manager in Ashland, Kentucky, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, Vestavia Hills, Alabama, and Cordova, Alaska.
In March, he was offered the opportunity to return to Alaska as city manager of Homer, but he declined the job after a council member questioned his truthfulness during the interview. The council member later apologized for his remarks and voted in favor of offering Robertson a contract.
Robertson has a bachelor’s degree in government and history from Western Kentucky University and three master’s degrees: one in urban planning from John Hopkins University, one in public administration from Western Kentucky University and one in strategic planning from the United States Army War College.
Meet and Greet On Tap
The three candidates will be in Canby on Tuesday, Aug. 18, for a series of interviews as well as a socially distanced meet and greet at Wait Park. The candidates will be interviewed by panels of elected officials, community stakeholders and staff in the afternoon, followed by a bus tour of the city.
The meet and greet will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. and will include the candidates’ spouses or partners. Masks will be required for all attendees if the social distancing guidelines cannot be met.
Each candidate will be provided 10 minutes to introduce themselves from the gazebo and answer a few questions. Following introductions, the candidates will be socially distanced at certain areas to meet members of the public.
Comment cards will be available for community member feedback, and staff is working with Canby CTV Channel 5 to livestream the event on Facebook.
The Canby City Council is scheduled to meet in executive session at City Hall immediately following the event.
