The Hood River City Council has designated three finalists for the position of City Manager:
Jeffrey Durbin, Abigail Elder and Cory Misley.
Community members will have an opportunity to meet the finalists at a community reception the evening of Tuesday, September 7, at 6:00 p.m. at the Stratton Rose Garden. Candidate interviews will be conducted on September 8th and 9th, 2021. The Hood River City Council expects to make its final selection on Friday, September 10th.
The finalist list was revised on August 26th. Jeffrey Durbin, most recently Interim Town manager of Frisco, CO, replaces Keith Stahley, currently Assistant City Manager in Olympia, WA, as a finalist due to Stahley’s withdrawal from consideration. On August 31st, a fourth finalist, Charlie Bush, notified Jensen Strategies that he has accepted a position with another City. Bush was most recently City Manager in Sequim, WA.
Jeffrey Durbin has 25.5 years of local government experience, most recently as the Interim Town Manager for the town of Frisco, CO. Previously, he served as Town Manager and Community Development Director for Fraser, CO, Community Development Director for Plainfield, IL, and Preservation Planner for the State of Michigan. Mr. Durbin holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Michigan State University and a Bachelors degree in Environmental Design from the University of Colorado.
Abigail Elder is the current Director of Community Services & Engagement for the City of Beaverton, OR, where she has served since 2018. Ms. Elder has 16 years of local government management experience including as the Director of the Mayor’s Office and Library Director for the City of Beaverton, OR, Library Manager for the City of Tualatin, OR, Administrator for the Multnomah County Library in Portland, OR, and Circulation Manager for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library in Vancouver, WA. Ms. Elder holds a Master of Public Administration from Portland State University, a Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelors degree from Saint Olaf College.
Cory Misley is the current City Manager of Sisters, OR, where he has served since 2018. Mr. Misley has six years of local government management experience including as the City Manager and Assistant City Manager for the City of La Pine, OR and as the Assistant Program Manager for the Center for Sustainable Communites with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Mr. Misley holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelors degree in Political Science and Psychology from Portland State University.