Report: Lacey City Manager Scott Spence is a finalist for job in Oregon
Lacey City Manager Scott Spence is a finalist to be the next city manager in Astoria, Oregon, according to the newspaper that serves that community.
“Astoria has always been a special place,” Spence told The Astorian, previously known as The Daily Astorian.
Growing up in Oregon and having family in Long Beach, Washington, Spence said he has been visiting Astoria since he was a child, according to the newspaper.
“Astoria has a rich history and just a really unique community,” he told the paper. “And so when the opportunity came up to potentially apply to be a city manager, I wanted to be a part of that process.”
Spence could not immediately be reached Wednesday. Council members are aware that he is a finalist for another job, said Councilman Michael Steadman.
However, Steadman didn’t hear it first from Spence directly but from reading The Astorian on a Columbia River fishing trip with his wife, he said.
“Am I reading this right?” said Steadman after picking up a copy of the newspaper.
Steadman said he would never fault anyone for trying to do what’s best for them or their family.
“I get that part,” he said, adding that if Spence is offered and accepts the job, “it will be hard to replace him.”
Spence is one of three finalists for the job. The two other candidates are Michael Harmon, who most recently served as a city administrator in South Dakota; and Michael Thomas, the city administrator for Amity, Oregon, the newspaper reported.
Spence started as public affairs director with the city of Lacey, then moved up to assistant city manager and eventually city manager in 2011. He replaced former city manager Greg Cuoio, who held the job for 24 years, according to The Olympian’s previous reporting.
Before Lacey, Spence was the assistant city manager in Sherwood, Oregon.
