Mayor to nominate manager of choice

Published 12:00 pm Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Kordonowy will proffer Mary Jo Briggs at tonight’s council meeting.

Mayor Darlene Kordonowy is poised to fill her second senior management position in as many weeks.

At tonight’s City Council meeting, Kordonowy will formally nominate Mary Jo Briggs as the city’s next administrator. The appointment follows council confirmation two weeks ago of Matt Haney as police chief.

Briggs currently serves as city administrator for Fairview, Ore., a fast-growing suburb on Portland’s east side. The city of 9,000 near the Columbia River has an annual budget of $20 million.

She emerged as one of two favorites, after interviews of four finalists by panels of citizens, city staff and council members; following those sessions, Kordonowy then met with Briggs twice individually.

The mayor said she came away impressed by Briggs’ experience – she has worked for public works and finance departments, as well as in senior management – and her commitment to action.

“She is direct, has a good sense of humor, and is a good listener to a point,” Kordonowy said. “What has impressed me is that when there is a time to listen, she has a very specific list of questions leading toward a decision, and not just leading to more conversation.”

The administrator’s salary has not been finalized; it could include some sort of housing allowance for living on the island, a requirement of the job. Kordonowy said Briggs would work for the city under a contract that would include performance standards and reviews, and would also guarantee 12 months’ severance pay if the hiree is fired without cause.

“We’re not going to separate on a whim just because we can’t get along on one issue,” Kordonowy said. “I think it shows commitment on the city’s part, that there’s incentive to work through any questions about performance.”

Councilman Nezam Tooloee argued for a strong severance clause, saying it would give the administrator – “the anchor of stability, the standard-bearer of professionalism in the organization,” he said – the security to run the city with resolve.

“This is the one person you want to make sure he or she is able to say ‘no,’ or ‘no ma’am’ or ‘no sir, you’re wrong’ to the mayor or council members,” he said. “You want this person to have backbone.”

The mayor said she hopes that Briggs, if confirmed, would be on the job by the first of July.

Briggs holds an undergraduate degree in English and education from the University of Nebraska, and did post-graduate studies in education, accounting and public administration at that university, Portland State University, and the University of Washington.

She spent a decade with the city of Vancouver, Wash.; there, she held positions as operations manager and interim director of public works, budget director and interim city manager, before being named deputy city manager in 1996.

Leaving that post in 2001, she established a private management consulting firm for a brief time before joining the city of Fairview as administrator.

During her tenure there, she created an economic development program targeting business retention; mediated “intense neighborhood disputes” on environmental and transportation issues; developed new employee classification and compensation plans; and created a student resource officer program with local schools. She and her husband have two children, and live in Vancouver, Wash.