<\/p>\n
Multnomah County executive turnover has cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years as the government brought in consultants to find job candidates amid a wave of retirements and other departures. <\/p>\n
The county had more leadership turnover and paid more to hiring consultants than neighboring Clackamas and Washington counties. A Multnomah County spokesperson defended the county’s reliance on outside recruiters, saying the number of top job openings “exceeds the internal capacity” of the county’s human resources department. <\/p>\n
Sharon Meylan, who served on the commission for eight years and was a vocal critic of the government she led, said turnover has long been a pitfall for the county. The problem has worsened in recent years, she says. <\/p>\n
“It’s truly shocking how many leaders have left Multnomah County in such a short period of time,” Meylan said. <\/p>\n
Current commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards called the change in leadership “alarming” and “destabilizing”.<\/p>\n
Multnomah County government has more than 6,500 employees and is responsible for providing services ranging from housing assistance to health care to approximately 800,000 residents in Oregon’s largest county. County department directors and other top leaders can influence the success or failure of delivering these services. <\/p>\n
County officials defended the executive departures, saying turnover is a natural part of any organization. In fact, some executive-level county employees have left their jobs for personal or family reasons. However, some have left to take other jobs or under controversial circumstances.<\/p>\n
At least 15 leaders or their members have left Multnomah County since the beginning of 2024. In two of the cases, officials shelled out a combined $160,000 to outside firms to conduct alternative recruitment studies, with records and data shared on county programming.<\/p>\n
All told, officials said the county spent about $641,000 on recruitment services from July 2024 to March 2026. Approximately $405,000 was used to search for officers for 10 positions, including hiring assistance for other positions, said county spokesperson Dennis Theriault. Those costs could rise further, with the agency allowing each recruitment consultant to spend up to $500,000 under the contract, which first began in 2023. <\/p>\n
At least one county commissioner has expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in hiring contractors. Shannon Singleton, who is running for county chair in November, said relying on outside recruiting firms can make it difficult to obtain details about the candidate pool, such as demographic information and search methods. However, he said there may be times when outside expertise is needed. <\/p>\n
“It’s difficult to hold consultants similarly accountable for some of the data they want to see during the process,” Singleton says. \u201cI understand that there are times when it makes sense to hire a consulting firm to conduct a national survey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brim Edwards, who is also vying for the county chair seat, has only been on the board for three years, but has more seniority than many county board members. <\/p>\n
“Some turnover is natural, but I think sometimes it can be beneficial,” Brim-Edwards said. “But having so much turnover at the top only creates instability.” <\/p>\n
Both commissioners expressed concerns about the level of support given to county executives and the burden of vacancies on officers who must shoulder a greater workload while the county searches for a replacement. <\/p>\n
Current county chairwoman Jessica Vega Pederson did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Theriault said the government is also hiring consultants to fill more difficult-to-fill professions, such as in the medical departments of county jails and other roles that may require specific qualifications.<\/p>\n
Beyond hiring costs, some who leave county employment bring with them years or even decades of experience and organizational knowledge. This is one of the hidden costs of turnover, said Berin Erdo\u011fan, a human resources management professor at Portland State University.<\/p>\n
“When people leave, they leave a hole behind them,” Erdogan said. “All of a sudden there’s more work for the people who are left behind. I think in civil service organizations it also leads to a loss of institutional memory.” <\/p>\n
Mr Th\u00e9riault acknowledged that a leadership gap could be a challenge. <\/p>\n
“Transitions are inevitably difficult, but we have a deep pool of leadership in our county with the expertise and skills needed to navigate moments of change and opportunity,” Theriault said in a statement. <\/p>\n
Two executives who retired in the past two years also received severance pay. Theriault said the county paid former chief operating officer Selina Cruz $70,000, the equivalent of three months’ salary, and provided her with two months of health insurance benefits. Mohammad Bader, former director of county human services, may have received an increase in his pension payout because he was reimbursed for $10,000 in attorney fees for unspecified legal services and was also reimbursed for sick leave he took from October 2025 to the end of February 16, 2026. <\/p>\n
Oregon’s second and third largest counties saw lower turnover rates over the same two-year period, despite having fewer employees. It also reduced the amount of money spent on contracting external consultants for hire. <\/p>\n
Washington County is bidding farewell to four executives, three of whom have retired, according to a Washington County spokesperson. The county spent $125,000 on recruiting efforts in 2024-2025. <\/p>\n
Clackamas County reported that a total of six or more board members have resigned, and one judge who served as the county’s justice of the peace has resigned. Clackamas has agreed to pay a consultant up to $12,500 to find a replacement for the county’s top attorney, who retired in August after just a year on the job. In the end, the county will have paid $34,000 for all employment services from 2024 to 2025.<\/p>\n
Multnomah County is doing some of its recruiting efforts to fill senior positions in-house, “saving taxpayers money,” Theriault said. As Chief Operating Officer Christopher Neal recently noted in an internal email, county officials have successfully completed a national search for a new Chief Human Resources Officer. The county also conducted its own search to hire a chief diversity officer and deputy chief operating officer, Theriault said. <\/p>\n
Since taking over as chief operating officer, Neal said he has focused on an internally led national review to strengthen county control and reduce costs. Neal took the county position last April after an eight-year career with the Port of Portland. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have invested heavily in internal investigations,\u201d Neal said. “Yes, it’s a big deal to save money for taxpayers, but what’s more, it also grows our internal talent.” <\/p>\n
After former chief operating officer Cruz steps down in 2024, the agency has hired Washington-based Karasu Consulting to handle the search. It cost the county $120,000, and officials ultimately hired Neal for the position last March at a salary of $326,510.<\/p>\n
The county also paid Karras Consulting to lead the latest search to replace former Homeless Services Director Dan Field, who announced his retirement in March 2025. The search cost a total of $41,000 and resulted in the hiring of Nathaniel Burgaw, head of the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services.<\/p>\n
A number of other top employees also left the county last year.<\/p>\n
In March 2025, Dr. Eleazar Lawson, the county’s correctional health medical director, resigned from his position after just 19 months on the job. The county announced at the time that charges against him that month led to disciplinary action. <\/p>\n
Joy Fowler, the company’s chief diversity and equity officer, resigned in May. She left to take a position as Director of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Vancouver, Washington. <\/p>\n
A few weeks later, former Behavioral Health Division Director Heather Mirasol announced her resignation, citing personal family matters. Mirasol had been on personal leave before the announcement. One of her deputy directors, Jen Garzow, also announced her resignation several months ago. <\/p>\n
Leslie Burns, the county’s former Preschool for All director, resigned in late July after two county commissioners called for her resignation following revelations about her relationship with a preschool provider accused of wasteful spending. As Willamette Week first reported, the state audit alleged that the Burns-owned preschool was not properly disbursing state Preschool Promise grants. <\/p>\n
Burns notified the county earlier this year that she could file a lawsuit alleging discrimination and retaliation. <\/p>\n
In October, the county’s chief human resources officer resigned following complaints about his workplace conduct. Travis Brown told county officials in an email that he needed time to deal with family health issues and attend to “other professional commitments.” His resignation comes weeks after fellow human resources executives accused him of “disrespectful and toxic behavior.” <\/p>\n
Multnomah County’s jail health director then retired in December after less than a year on the job. Michael Crandell has been on paid leave since August 29th. Officials did not provide details about why Crandell resigned. <\/p>\n
Rebecca Lemons, head of health equity at the Department of Health, resigned on December 26 after two months on the job. The county gave little details about the circumstances that led to her discharge. <\/p>\n
Travis Graves, a longtime county employee who most recently served as deputy chief operating officer, left the county in January for personal reasons. He has nearly 30 years of experience with the county and was interim chief operating officer when Cruz retired, according to his LinkedIn profile. <\/p>\n
Continued disruption can make it difficult to establish continuity. The county said it is working to prepare for this type of change “through succession planning and leadership development.” <\/p>\n
\u201cIf a senior leader retires or steps down for other reasons, experienced senators and other subordinates can step in and support the team while the hiring process takes place,\u201d Th\u00e9riault wrote. <\/p>\n
Theriault also noted that the county’s recent talent acquisitions highlight the county’s “competitive hiring process.” The county has announced replacements for a number of open positions, including a new director of Preschool for All and a chief human resources officer. <\/p>\n
The county still has interim leaders heading up the county Department of Human Services, Department of Behavioral Health and, for some time, the Department of Homeless Services. The county is conducting an internal search for a human services director and a behavioral health director, but officials said they may use outside resources for the latter if needed. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Oregons #largest #county #replaces #top #leaders #years #pays #high #salaries #replacements<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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