Mayor Dumbrow’s $18,000-a-Month City Manager Pick Raises Questions

The City is preparing to pay Gary Marks $18,000 to be its interim city manager a month after a search that produced only one viable candidate. His prior city-manager tenure included reported workplace concerns that North Plains’ public packet does not mention.

North Plains is preparing to appoint Gary Marks to lead a City Hall where employees and councilors alike have been heading for the exits.

But an important part of Marks’ management history is missing from the City’s public agenda packet.

A 2021 Columbia County Spotlight article reported that Marks resigned as Lebanon city manager in 2019 after being placed on administrative leave.

Citing reporting by KEZI 9 News, the article said an investigation conducted before his departure included interviews with 11 City employees—including all eight department directors—who described Marks as “abrasive” and “reactive.” Employees reportedly said his behavior had worsened during his approximately five years in the position.

That reporting does not automatically mean Marks cannot succeed in North Plains. He has decades of municipal experience and subsequently served nearly five years as public works director for the City of Dallas.

But North Plains is not hiring under ordinary circumstances.

It is hiring someone to stabilize an already depleted and difficult workplace.

That makes one question unavoidable:

Did the mayor and City Council properly investigate what happened in Lebanon before recommending Marks?

A Search Driven by Desperation

According to the July 20 agenda packet, North Plains contacted 15 potential interim managers and interviewed four.

Only two were interested and available.

Of those two, Gary Marks was the only person who could begin immediately and remain for the four to six months the City believes it will need to recruit a permanent manager.

The proposed agreement would pay Marks $18,000 per month, potentially totaling between $72,000 and $108,000 over that period.

The urgency is real—but it was also created by the mayor and Council.

On June 15, the Council approved a separation agreement with City Manager Bill Reid without publicly presenting residents with a transition plan, recruitment strategy or explanation of how the City would operate after his departure.

Library Director Robin Doughty temporarily stepped into the role, but accepted the appointment only through July 20. She has since reportedly submitted her own resignation.

Now the Council is facing a deadline of its own making and recommending the only candidate who can start immediately.

Availability is important. It is not the same as suitability—and it is not a substitute for due diligence.

The Council Was Warned About the Risk

Before Reid’s departure, residents and community organizations submitted comments describing him as professional, responsive, collaborative, knowledgeable and effective.

The North Plains Events Association called him an “outstanding partner.” Other residents urged the Council to recognize his professionalism and continue supporting his work.

Most tellingly, former Mayor Cynthia Hirst had already warned that North Plains had been unable to fill its finance manager position “due to the divisiveness on the City Council.”

The warning was clear: the Council’s conduct was already making it harder to recruit qualified professionals.

The Council moved forward anyway.

Since then, North Plains has lost its permanent city manager, its acting manager is leaving, key positions remain vacant and the City has become increasingly dependent on temporary employees and expensive outside contractors. As The Real Friends of North Plains has previously reported, the remaining staff have been expected to keep basic services operating under extraordinary strain.

Residents Deserve Answers Before Monday’s Vote

Before approving Marks’ appointment, councilors should publicly answer several straightforward questions:

• Did anyone obtain and review the Lebanon workplace investigation?

• Did the City contact any of the department directors or employees interviewed during it?

• Was Marks asked to explain the concerns and circumstances surrounding his departure?

• Were all councilors informed of this history before receiving the recommendation?

• What safeguards will be put in place to protect morale and retain the employees North Plains still has?

Gary Marks deserves to be evaluated fairly and on his complete record.

North Plains employees and taxpayers deserve the same consideration.

The central problem is not that Marks has been offered an interim position. It is that a mayor and Council whose decisions helped create this emergency are now asking residents to trust another consequential personnel decision without showing their work.

Desperation is not a personnel strategy. Availability is not vetting.

Before placing an already fragile City Hall under new leadership, the Council must demonstrate that it conducted the serious due diligence this moment demands.

The Real Friends of North Plains welcomes additional context from Gary Marks, Mayor Aaron Dumbrow or members of the City Council. We will fairly report any response supported by relevant records.