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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2017)
24 Wednesday, May 31, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon KUCERA: New city manager was chosen by unanimous vote Continued from page 1 is moving very quickly for them. Their house at the beach will shortly be on the market, and they had taken Saturday off from painting to travel to Sisters for the day. Kucera will be wrapping things up in Cannon Beach, where he has been the city manager for the last two- and-a-half years, and will be working on a contract agree- ment with the City of Sisters. He is looking forward to the arrival of his 5-year-old son, Rhys, in June. Rhys, who lives with his mother in Michigan, spends his sum- mers with his dad. He will be entering kindergarten in the fall back in Michigan. Jacobs is a kindergarten teacher in Lincoln City and just tendered her resignation for next year. She is busy looking for a teaching posi- tion here in Central Oregon. She is qualified to teach any grade level and has a read- ing specialist certification. Jacobs’ daughter, Emily, has just completed farrier school and is looking forward to being in Sisters. Jacobs shared with The Nugget that Kucera told her about Sisters, “This is the friendliest town I’ve ever been in.” They are both look- ing forward to calling Sisters home. Making the move to Sisters with Kucera and Jacobs will be their yellow Labrador, a cat, and a fish. “And I would love to teach here,” added Jacobs. A native of Pennsylvania, Kucera came west for his undergraduate program at University of Idaho where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in geography. He went on to earn a Master of Public Administration from Northern Michigan University. Prior to assuming the city manager duties in Cannon Beach, Kucera was the borough manager for the Borough of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, for six years where he supervised 32 full- time employees. Before that he was the city manager of Gladstone, Michigan, the city treasurer in Munising, Michigan, and the assistant city supervisor for the City of Moscow, Idaho. Kucera still has family in Pennsylvania — his parents and a brother. He shared a love for model railroads with his father and still enjoys the hobby. He has N- and Z-scale models. Kucera and Jacobs both enjoy the outdoors — hiking, gardening, and animals — and Kucera also enjoys read- ing and writing short fiction. Looking forward to start- ing work in Sisters, Kucera plans during his first 30 days on the job “to do a lot of listening and writing.” His very first order of business will be to “sit down with the City staff” to listen, ask and answer questions, and get to know them. He also looks forward to meeting with the City Council to “hear their ideas and what their vision is for the City.” He will basi- cally take time to get “the lay of the land.” “I am excited to be back in a town that feels vibrant, with an opportunity for growth,” offered Kucera. “I look for- ward to helping shape the future in a way that benefits the community.” Kucera was chosen from a field of four candidates Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben General, Cosmetic, Implant and Family Dentistry ~ Over 22 years Serving Sisters ~ We are preferred providers for Delta Dental PPO and Premier, MODA, Advantage, Pacifi c Source, Cigna and the V.A. 541-549-0109 | 304 W. Adams Ave. | Sisters Rejuvenate, Redefi ne, Refresh Your Own Beauty injectables, laser skincare and rejuvenation, body contouring, nutrition & wellness, medical skincare HOPE’s Medical Director Jessica Slaughter at 31 (left) and 43 years young (right) HOPE Aesthetics & Wellness www.HopeWellnessSisters.com | 541-588-6503 for the City Manager posi- tion. Jensen Strategies from Portland conducted the entire recruiting and interview pro- cess. They advertised the position, processed 42 appli- cations, and conducted phone interviews with 28 applicants to narrow the field eventually to eight semi-finalists who were then interviewed by a selection committee of two City Councilors and two City staff. The finalists were cho- sen and they were brought to town to meet and talk with all the City staff and the citizens at a public reception. The next day the candidates each had hour-long interviews with three different panels. One panel was made up of local citizens represent- ing various interests in the community. Another panel included local government officials from neighboring Central Oregon towns as well as the Sisters fire chief and the high school principal. The City Council was the third panel. PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD Brant Kucera (right) will take the reins as Sisters City Manager in July. Feedback collected from the staff, the public recep- tion, and each of the panels was evaluated and carefully summarized to make the task of selecting the new City Manager a fair and balanced process, giving equal weight to all opinions. The final decision rested with the City Council, which spent last Wednesday morn- ing deliberating, reviewing, and analyzing the data and summaries prepared for them. According to Councilor Andrea Blum, “The Council had a great deal of commu- nity and staff input to con- sider before making its deci- sion. We were fortunate to be able to reach a unanimous decision, and are eager to get to know and work with Brant Kucera. His educa- tional background and years of city administrative experi- ence will match well with the needs of Sisters, especially his experience and eager- ness to help Sisters through an upcoming visioning and See KUCERA on page 26 Brace Yourself for Summer! $300 Discount For the month of June when you start a comprehensive treatment program! Not valid with any other offer. New Patients Only. Smile by Shanda and The Brace Place! 541-382-0410 410 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters CentralOregonBracePlace.com
