Next Wednesday, three new candidates vying to become the next Centralia city manager will be at an open house and reception to introduce themselves and meet with residents, according to a news release from the city.
The open house will be held at the Centralia Train Depot’s multi-purpose room located at 210 N. Railroad Ave. in downtown Centralia from 7 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 16.
The following day, on Thursday, Oct. 17, the Centralia City Council will hold a special meeting in executive session at 8 a.m. to conduct its own interviews with the three prospective candidates. This meeting is not open to the public, and no action will be taken following the meeting, according to the release.
This comes after three previous candidates underwent the same process last summer. Those candidates were Robert Harrison, Chandra Wax and Jennifer Wills.
After the interviews, the council ultimately decided none of them were right for the job and continued working with Prothman consultants to find new candidates.
The first new candidate is Roxanne Miles, who has been serving as Pierce County’s parks and recreation director since 2017. Prior to that, she served as the county’s business and financial operations manager and has also worked for the Pierce County Juvenile Court and Metro Parks Tacoma.
Miles has a master’s degree in business administration from Corban University and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Pacific Lutheran University.
The second new candidate is Robert Maul, who has been serving as the City of Camas planning manager since 2014. During that time, he also served as Camas’ interim community development director and, prior to that, he served as the City of Battle Ground’s assistant planner and community development director.
Maul has a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Northern Colorado.
The final new candidate is Michael Thomas, who served as city administrator for Amity, Oregon, from 2019 to 2023. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Air Force where he retired as a lieutenant colonel after a 20-year career and was a squadron commander and master combat systems operator.
Thomas has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Oregon, a master’s of business administration from Trident University International, a master’s degree in military operational art and science from Air University and a bachelor’s degree in management from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
The Centralia city manager position became vacant after former long-time City Manager Rob Hill retired back in May. Since then, Parks Director and Deputy City Manager Amy Buckler has been filling in as the interim city manager while the city continues its search.
