Meet the Four Finalists for City Manager on Monday, Aug. 12

As part of the process to find a new city manager, Milwaukie City Council will host a special event on Monday, Aug. 12 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the city hall community room, 10501 SE Main St., with the finalists. After receiving 45 applications, City Council narrowed the candidates down to four—Kenny Asher, Bob Harrison, Emma Sagor and Ari Wagner.

About the candidates:

Kenny Asher
Most recently, Asher served 11 years as the community development director for the City of Tigard. Prior to that, Asher served for seven years as both the public works director and community development director for the City of Milwaukie. He has also held positions with the Portland Family of Funds and Portland Development Commission (now Prosper Portland). Asher holds a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism from the University of Florida and a Master of Architecture from the University of Oregon.

Bob Harrison
Harrison currently serves as the president of The Harrison Group, LLC. Prior to his consulting work, Harrison served as the city manager for the City of Yakima, Washington for four years. He was also the chief administrative officer for the City of Renton, Washington for two years and the city administrator for the City of Issaquah, Washington for eight years. Harrison holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and internal affairs from Marquette University and a Master of Public Administration from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Emma Sagor
Sagor is currently serving as the acting city manager for the City of Milwaukie, a role she has held since April. She originally joined the city in 2023 as the assistant city manager. Prior to her Milwaukie, Sagor served as the strategy, data and performance manager for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and as the climate advisor for Portland’s American Cities Climate Challenge. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in social studies from Harvard University and a Master of Science in Regional and Urban Planning from the London School of Economics.

Ari Wagner
Wagner served Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. (GOBHI) for 11 years, the last four as the chief operating officer and the director of organizational development. Prior to GOBHI, she spent six years as the director of research for Douglas County, Oregon, and 18 years as the director of organizational development for Lane County, Oregon. Wagner holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Arizona State University and a Master of Science in public policy, planning and management from the University of Oregon.

The city began recruiting for a new city manager in May, shortly after the previous city manager, Ann Ober, accepted a position with Washington County. City Council anticipates making its final selection on Tuesday, Aug. 13 after a final round of interviews.

For more information, contact Heather Gantz, senior manager at Raftelis, at hgantz@raftelis.com or 503.860.1111.