Four Sisters city manager candidates make their case

(Updated with comments from the four finalists)

The four finalists for the position of Sisters city manager got to speak with the public at a meet-and-greet event Monday evening at the FivePine Lodge, talking about issues facing the community and the strengths it sees moving forward for Sisters.

The four finalists are Brant Kucera, Martha Meeker, David Miller and Bruce St. Denis.

Kucera is the current city manager in Cannon Beach. He has served in that role since November of 2014. He has 17 years of upper-level city management experience.

“What’s most important is what the community envisions it’s goals being,” Kucera said. “It’s the manager’s job and staff’s job to make sure we are working on recommendations that council can then turn into policy which benefits the community the way they see fit.”

Meeker was recently the city manager of McMinnville where she served for two years. Before her role as city manager, she built a career in the Air Force where she rose to the rank of brigadier general and held management positions.

“I enjoy giving back, working with citizens, and making a difference,” Meeker said. “You know, making sure the business permits are given when they need, working with them to build parks because that makes a difference in the day to day lives of citizens.”

Miller is currently the public works and community development director in Folsom, California. He has 15 years of upper-level management experience, including as the community development director for La Grande and the development services manager for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

“If you look at the downtowns in the past 20 to 30 years and what small, medium, and large cities have been able to do,” Miller said, “I think less and less we are depending on the federal and state government and more and more on ourselves.”

St. Denis is currently the district manager for Development, Financing, and Planning Group, a private municipal service management firm in Tampa, Florida. For 15 years, he was the town manager for Longboat Key, Florida.

“I find the work very rewarding and, as I mentioned earlier, I like working in small towns,” St. Denis said. “I would work to facilitate some of the discussions they’re having now and hopefully make things better.”

Final interviews will be conducted Tuesday and the Sisters City Council plans to make its selection by Wednesday.