New city administrator will have a full plate

Following what ended up amounting to an extended hiring process, it appears as if Camas has finally found its new city administrator.

Mayor Scott Higgins announced yesterday that the current city manager of Cloverdale, Calif., Nina Regor, had been offered the job pending the results of a site visit that will be conducted this week.

Born in Clark County, Regor has also worked for the City of Gresham, Ore., and the City of Spokane Valley, where she was involved in the establishment of that municipality.

Higgins and current Camas city administrator Lloyd Halverson will travel to the northern California city, spend some more time with Regor, and “hit the streets,” researching her reputation in the small community and confirming what her references have had to say. This move, a first for Camas city officials, demonstrates the importance that is being placed on finding exactly the right person for this position. It’s not difficult to understand why.

Unlike many other cities, Camas has had the same person at the helm for 23 years. Hired by former Mayor Nan Henriksen, Halverson has been Camas’ only city administrator and along the way has developed expertise and invaluable experience in a wide range of areas to the benefit of Camas.

Once she officially starts in her new position at the end of January, Regor will have a big job on her hands. The city has weathered the last five recession years, but budgets are still tight and highly scrutinized. Last night’s approval of the 2013 budget sets in motion a number of capital improvements that will extend beyond 2013, and looming in the future is development of property north of Lacamas Lake. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

But based on her breadth of experience in city management positions, words of approval and support from those involved in the thorough hiring process, and her close ties to the Camas area, Regor seems fit to handle and even thrive in this position as she faces the issues, problems and tasks at hand.