CRESWELL—The City of Creswell has whittled down its search for a new city manager applicant from 12 to four candidates. On Monday, the public is invited to a meet-and-greet with them before the council makes a final decision the next day.
“Creswell has a number of significant issues on the forefront, and getting a strong city manager in place will be critical to navigate these challenges successfully going forward,” Nebel stated.
Finalists include David Benson, assistant chief recovery officer for the city of Houston, Texas; Monique DeSpain, executive director for Common Sense for Oregon Foundation and 2024 Republican congressional candidate for District 4; Vincent Martorello, parks and recreation director for the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa; and Douglas Wiggins, former city manager of Toledo, Ore.
The public meet-and-greet will be held on May 12 at 5 p.m. at the Creswell Community Center, 99 S. 1st St. Nebel said that a panel of community members for the event is still being finalized.
The council will also interview the candidates in an executive session behind closed doors. Then, it will meet privately to deliberate before making a final selection in a public session on May 13. The mayor appoints the city manager with the consent of a majority of the council.
Nebel said this is a standard process for hiring city managers in the state.
“About 30 surveys of residents, boards, and commission members and employees were received through social media and printed copies available at the library and City Hall,” he said, noting that the commentary was consolidated and presented to the council for consideration when crafting the criteria.
The city manager position requires a bachelor’s degree in public administration, planning, political science, or a related field and at least five years of upper-level local government management experience, two years of higher education, and 10 years of upper-level local government management experience. According to the application, equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered, and local experience is a plus.
Stakeholder interviewers conducted were with Aaron Donley with Sanipac; Jenni Donley with Creswell First; Michelle Melvin with the Creswell Chamber; Mike Johnson with Creswell School Districtor, Nick Caum with the Creswell Library; Susan Blachnik with the Creswell Food Pantry; John Wooten with South Lane County Fire & Rescue; and Bill Spencer, business owner.
The candidates
Benson resides in Tillamook. An Oregon native, he earned an undergraduate degree from Yale and a master’s in public administration from the University of Houston. Most of his career has been in Texas, where he served as Assistant City Manager of League City and Assistant Chief Recovery Officer for Houston. As a private consultant, he focused on human resources and developed guidelines for maximizing local resources for small cities.
In his application, he stated, “My background in supporting the range of services the City delivers will be of value in overcoming difficult obstacles, continuing to strengthen the City’s team, and ensuring that the organization is able to continue effective, efficient, and ethical service to Creswell as new residents and businesses arrive.”
DeSpain lives in Eugene, Oregon, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Utah, a master’s from Central Michigan University, and a law degree from Willamette University College of Law. DeSpain ran in the general election for District 4 in 2024. She is the Executive Director and County Counsel for the Common Sense for Oregon Foundation. DeSpain has also worked as an attorney and chief operating officer, and she served 30 years in the Oregon Air National Guard and USAF Reserve, retiring as a Colonel.
In her application, she noted, “…my 2024 congressional campaign gave me a deeper understanding of [Creswell’s] people and businesses. … My work at the Common Sense for Oregon Foundation, where I develop and implement policy to support working families, has reinforced my belief that good governance starts locally.”
Martorello resides in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cobleskill and a master’s in urban planning and architecture from the University of Michigan. He is the Parks and Recreation Director for Council Bluffs and has previously served as Superintendent of Willamalane Park and Recreation District in Springfield, Oregon. He has prepared land use applications and municipal master plans while working at a consulting firm in Eugene.
“I want to make a positive contribution to a community and invest (myself) both professionally and personally into the well-being and vitality of (the Creswell) community,” Martorello stated in his application.
Wiggins lives in Toledo and has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from the University of Wyoming. He most recently served as City Manager in Toledo and has held positions including City Administrator in Union, Oregon, and Police Officer/Sergeant in Wheatland, Wyoming. Before his municipal career, he worked in sales for an agricultural seed company.
In his application, Wiggins said, “With my background in city management and law enforcement, I have had the privilege of working closely with communities to solve problems… What draws me to Creswell is that same spirit of connection and progress.”
The city manager serves as the administrative head of the City government, reporting to the Mayor and Council on the proper administration of City affairs. Responsibilities include appointing and supervising staff, organizing City departments, budgeting, and fostering cooperation among the Council, staff, and citizens to build community.
The settled salary ranges from $130,000 to $165,000, comparable to Tillamook’s city manager’s salary, which oversees a similar population in the 5,000s. Nebel also compared the top administrative salaries in the City of Creswell for the Public Works Director and the Finance Director, which are $120,414.
Nebel said that final compensation will be negotiated with the successful candidate based on skills and experience as part of an employment agreement.
Wrapping it up
The open seat follows Michelle Amberg’s resignation in December 2024. She served in the position for a decade before pulling the plug in November.
In a letter, she stated that her relationship with the council had devolved into an “irreparable state” and that her resignation would “allow the new Council to engage with a new city manager of their choosing instead of one that they have inherited.” Her decision followed the day after a nonpublic meeting, where Amberg’s annual performance review and her contract were discussed. She declined to comment further.
Since then, Interim City Manager Spencer Nebel has been filling in and steering the process. He said he is not interested in pursuing this role full time because, well, he’s technically “retired.”
“When I took this job, it was expressly to serve for a limited duration to help the City,” Nebel said, noting that he has over 41 years of experience and served 10 years as the city manager for Newport before his retirement in summer 2024. “In my retirement, I plan to do interim work for a few more years, but I am looking forward to being retired again … at least through the summer.”
