The City Council concluded a nationwide city manager recruitment by selecting Stephen (Steve) Rymer as Tigard’s next city manager. His first day is scheduled for Feb. 1, 2021.
Rymer, who is lives in the Portland area, is ready to get started. “It is an honor to be selected as Tigard’s City Manager and join this great organization,” Rymer noted. “I am excited to partner with the Mayor, Councilors, my new teammates and the community as we strive to become even more diverse, equitable and inclusive in all that we do.”
Rymer served as the city administrator of Rochester, Minnesota since 2017. With a population of 118,935, Rochester is the home of the Mayo Clinic and a major IBM facility.
Prior to his tenure in Rochester, Rymer was the City Manager of Morgan Hill, California for nearly five years. Rymer also served for ten years as the Parks and Recreation Director of the City of New Brighton, Minnesota.
Mayor Jason Snider noted Rymer’s experience was an important factor in the selection process.
“With more than 20 years of experience in local government, including serving as city manager in Morgan Hill, California and Rochester, Minnesota, Steve Rymer is the right leader to move Tigard forward,” Mayor Snider notes. “He understands the work required to further advance our city’s vision to become an equitable community that is walkable, healthy, and accessible.”
Rymer was selected from a nationwide search that started in November. In order to ensure a strong applicant pool, the city enlisted the help of an executive recruitment firm and promoted the job opportunity to the League of Women in Government, National Forum for Black Public Administrators and Local Government Hispanic Network.
Along with attracting a qualified applicant pool, the City Council wanted community involvement throughout the recruitment.
“I want to thank the community for actively participating throughout the recruitment process. At the beginning of the process, we heard from the community about the skills our next city manager should have,” Mayor Snider said. “The council considered this feedback throughout the process, and I believe Steve’s skill set aligns closely to the needs of our community.”
In the final step of the recruitment process, the community was invited to watch Mayor Snider’s interview with each finalist and provide feedback on the candidates. Over 1,500 community members watched the interviews, with many of them providing feedback.
