The Battle Ground City Council has announced six finalists for the position of City Manager. Council received a total of 26 applications for the position which became vacant in December of 2015 when former City Manager John Williams accepted a position in Moses Lake, WA.
The City Manager is appointed by Council and, in accordance with the city’s adopted council-manager form of government, serves as Chief Administrator for the city. The City Manager is responsible for prudent and efficient execution of City Council’s legislative polices and budget goals; for the appointment and direction of department directors; and for the daily operations of the city.
Each of the finalists will be interviewed by panels comprised of city council, city staff, and members of the community. The public is invited to meet and talk to the finalists at an Open House hosted by City Council on Thursday, March 3rd from 6:00 – 7:30 pm at the Battle Ground Community Center located at 912 E. Main Street.
Councilmember Shane Bowman is leading the recruitment process. “We chose to run the process in-house and I am extremely pleased with the results”, he said, “With six highly-qualified finalists, City Council is confident in selecting the next City Manager for Battle Ground.”
The finalists are:
Matthew Brown
- Currently serves as Senior Management Analyst for the City of Forest Grove, OR
- Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Western Oregon University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Marylhurst University
Daniel Chandler
- Currently serves as Assistant County Administrator/Strategic Policy Administrator for Clackamas County, OR
- Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science/Public Administration from Western Washington University and a Juris Doctor Degree from Harvard Law School
Robert Maul
- Currently serves as Planning Manager for the City of Camas, WA
- Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from the University of Northern Colorado
Chris Sutter
- Currently serves as Assistant Chief of Police for the City of Vancouver, WA
- Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from California State University
Jeff Swanson
- Currently serves as Director of Economic Development for Clark County, WA
- Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Portland State University, a Graduate Certificate in Computer Modeling and Simulation, and a Master’s Degree in Economics from Portland State University
Craig Ward
- Currently serves as City Manager for the City of Troutdale, OR
- Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Forest Management, a Master’s Degree in Forest Management and Master’s Degree in Business Management from Washington State University