Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW President candidate says SOU must be enterprising ... Lake Shasta college party routinely turns wild ... Scuba trip to Belize nearly fatal for Rogue River man ... President candidate says SOU must be enterprising ... Lake Shasta college party routinely turns wild ... Scuba trip to Belize nearly fatal for Rogue River man ... Rob Patridge among 3 finalists for Medford city manager Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted May. 19, 2016 at 12:22 PM Updated May 19, 2016 at 5:54 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted May. 19, 2016 at 12:22 PM Updated May 19, 2016 at 5:54 PM » Social News Rob Patridge, Klamath County district attorney and a former state representative from Medford, is one of three finalists for Medford city manager. The Medford City Council announced the finalists today. The other two are James Thompson, retired city manager in Casa Grande, Ariz., and Jon Amundson, assistant city manager in Richland, Wash. Patridge, 47, is currently chairman of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, but he is the only candidate who doesn't have high-level city administrator experience. He cites his management work at Pacific Retirement Services for six years as general counsel as well as dealing with budgets. "I wouldn't do it if I didn't think I had the management and leadership abilities," Patridge said. Patridge has been Klamath County district attorney for three years. Before that he was president of Covey Consulting in Medford and general counsel for U.S. Rep. Greg Walden. He served in the Oregon House for six years beginning in 1999 and was a deputy district attorney for Jackson County for three years prior to his election. He was also a Medford councilor for two years when he was 27 starting in 1996. Thompson has been with Casa Grande since 2004. In August 2015, he retired from the city after about 30 years in the public sector, according to the Casa Grande Dispatch newspaper. Thompson started out as assistant city manager in Sterling, Colo., then served as city manager for Bullhead City and Bothell, Wash., according to the Dispatch. This month he was one of four finalists for the city manager position in Mercer Island, Wash., but the City Council there announced Monday it had rejected all four and reopened its search, according to the Mercer Island Reporter. Thompson was also one of five finalists rejected in November 2015 by the Chandler, Ariz., city council, which also reopened its search, according to The Arizona Republic. Amundson has been assistant city manager in Richland since December 2008. Before that he was a management analyst and assistant to the city manager for the city of Allen, Wash. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Brigham Young University and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Kansas, according to his LinkedIn page. The new Medford city manager will replace Eric Swanson, who was fired June 4, 2015, after almost three years on the job. Several councilors said Swanson was managing them rather than the council managing him. Patridge, who receives $114,000 annually as DA, said, "I think the City Council has to set the policy and what they want to do, and I would help facilitate that." Patridge said he was heavily involved in PRS' executive team and management, dealing with issues about human resources, information technology and administration. He said PRS had more than 800 people working at various facilities throughout the country. At the District Attorney's Office, Patridge said he oversees 19 people, including seven lawyers. Amundson said he thinks one of the reasons the council chose him as a finalist is because of his experience in Richland and in Texas. He said he also participated in a two-year leadership program for city managers. He said he's been involved with many local projects in Richland, including information technology and economic development. Richland, Amundson said, is a full-service city with 500 employees that has its own landfill operation and electric utility. Amundson, who currently earns $125,000 a year, said he has been looking at other city manager job prospects as a growth opportunity for his career, but he said he sees Medford as a good fit because the two cities are of similar size. "Most people in my line of work aspire to one day lead a city," Amundson said. If he becomes city manager, Amundson said, he would see his role as one who follows the mission and vision of the City Council. Thompson could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted May. 19, 2016 at 12:22 PM Updated May 19, 2016 at 5:54 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501