Council extends City Manager offer to Vincent Ferraris following split vote; applications now open for two vacant seats
Two King City councilors resign, leaving vacancies after deciding on a new city manager.
King City Councilor Randy Olsen and Council President Jessica Braverman both resigned from the council, with Braverman citing “grievances brought in good faith.”
“In light of my grievances brought in good faith, and in light of the resignation by City Councilor Olsen, I am submitting my resignation from King City Council effective December 17, 2025,” reads a letter Braverman sent to the council on Dec. 17. “My suggestion is that the full Robert’s Rules be utilized at each city council meeting and that King City hire a neutral parliamentarian to ensure the charter, rules and muni code are followed properly and fairly. City Council must work together, each having an independent voice on behalf of the citizens of King City. I wish everyone good luck as they move into 2026.”
In her letter, Braverman suggested that the council follow Robert’s Rules of Order, a set of parliamentary rules that govern city council proceedings and councilor conduct.
With a 5-0 vote, the remaining King City Councilors appointed Stephan Gearhart as council president at the beginning of their Dec. 17 meeting. At the meeting, Mayor Rachel Kazmierski reminded remaining councilors of their councilor decorum, citing recent unspecified remarks from councilors.
“I just wanted to acknowledge that at recent meetings and related communications, there have been interruptions, remarks that were not germane and personal comments and communications to staff that do not reflect the standards of conduct expected of this body,” Kazmierski said.
Later in the Dec. 17 meeting, councilor Sandra Cunningham apologized for remarks she made about a King City resident before a recent meeting had been called to order.
While the remarks Kazmierski referred to were not specified and were not explicitly connected to the dual resignations or Cunningham’s remarks, she told councilors that the city would be holding a training on Robert’s Rules of Order specifically for the council in March of 2026.
Neither Olsen nor Braverman cited the new city manager decision in their resignations.
Olsen was appointed in August of 2024 and told Tualatin Life after his resignation that he would be stepping down to care for a sick loved one. Braverman was appointed King City Council President in November of 2024 and did not state in her letter what “grievances” she was referring to, only that they and Olsen’s resignation had influenced her own.
Both Olsen and Braverman signed off on numerous city projects and most recently voted against the appointment of city manager candidate Vincent Ferraris at a Dec. 3 meeting.
In a 4-3 vote, councilors Vince Arditi, Olsen, and Braverman voted no on the motion to offer Ferraris the position, with Braverman saying the appointment was a difficult decision. Dissenting voters did not publicly say at the meeting which candidates they supported for the position, but Tualatin Life confirmed through two sources that oppositional votes were for City Recorder Ronnie Smith.
“It was a really tough choice,” Braverman said. “Even though we may not all be in agreement, we are all in agreement that we really enjoyed meeting and talking with each and every one of the applicants.”
At the over nine-hour-long meeting, which was often in executive session, the council interviewed the four finalists for the city manager position, concluding that they would offer the position to Ferraris over other candidates, Joseph Lessand, Courtney Patterson, and Smith.
Other council members, besides Braverman, noted the strain of choosing among the qualified applicants, with Mayor Kazmierski saying the council had “wonderful candidates.”
“Obviously, our deliberations were like two hours long. We had a lot to discuss because our candidate pool was so great,” Kazmierski said.
Ferraris previously served as Project Manager for the City of Portland from 2016 to 2023 and has since worked as the Senior Administrator and the Capital Finance Manager at transportation company Tri-Met. He has also worked at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Portland Police Bureau.
Ferraris, who had also applied to the city management position in the City of Dundee, as of Dec. 29 has not officially accepted the position and is undergoing a background check by the city.
The council is already accepting applications and will begin interviews for its vacant seats on Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. Both council positions are partial terms, with one ending on Dec. 31, 2026, and the other on Dec. 31, 2028.
