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Interim County Administrator

Rhodes appointed interim county administrator. Recruitment for permanent administrator continues.
Media release
County Administrative Office

Posted

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Sponsored by: County Administrative Office

Rhodes appointed interim county administrator

Stephen Rhodes
The Washington County Board of Commissioners recently appointed Stephen Rhodes to serve as interim county administrator beginning January 6. Rhodes will serve as an interim while a national search for a permanent administrator continues into next spring. The current county administrator, Robert Davis, is retiring at the end of the year after over 30 years with the county, serving as the county administrator since 2006.

"Steve’s nearly 27 years of experience in municipal government, most of it in Oregon, was compelling to our board as we looked for a temporary administrator,” said Board Chair Kathryn Harrington. "We are grateful that Steve has agreed to contribute his considerable knowledge and skill with us as our interim top executive."

Rhodes served as the city manager of Tualatin from 1982 to 1995, then as county administrator for Clackamas County from 1995 until his retirement in 2001. Rhodes came out of retirement from 2007 to 2013 to serve as the city manager of Pacifica, California. He also served briefly as an interim city manager for the Oregon cities of Damascus and Newberg.

Rhodes earned a law degree and an undergraduate degree in general social science from the University of Oregon.

A national recruitment campaign for a permanent county administrator is scheduled to begin in January 2020 and will be kept open until the position is filled. The Washington County Board of Commissioners plans to review candidates in early March 2020 with the goal of hiring the next administrator by the end of that month.

Washington County, Oregon, has a mission to provide excellent and cost-effective services that support healthy, peaceful, safe and sustainable communities, and encourage meaningful participation in community activities and county governance. The organization is supported by a budget of $1.4 billion and is staffed by 2,188 full-time equivalent employees serving a diverse and growing population of 613,410 on the western side of the Portland metropolitan area. More information about Washington County can be found at www.co.washington.or.us.

Media Contact:

Philip Bransford, Communications Officer
503-846-8685
[email protected]