Hermiston Plays Host to City Manager Finalists

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City Manager Finalists
Greg Prothman, far right, introduces the finalists for the Hermiston city manager position at a meet and greet session Thursday at the Hermiston Public Library. From left to right: Regan Bolli, Cathy Sinnard, Bob Layman and Byron Smith.
PHOTOS BY CLAIRE FRANELL

The Hermiston City Council held a reception at the Hermiston Public Library Thursday to introduce the four finalists for the position of city manager to members of the community.

The city hired the Prothman Group to recruit candidates to replace Ed Brookshier when he retires later this year.

The four remaining candidates are Regan Bolli, Robert Layman, Catherine Sinnard, and Byron Smith, all of whom “have a pretty rich history of city management experience,” Greg Prothman said.

Regan Bolli
Regan Bolli
Bolli has been city manager in Ephraim, Utah, for four years. Prior to being city manager, Bolli worked with Hansen Wright Eddy & Haws, a firm practicing municipal law in Utah County, during which time he says he became heavily involved in local government.

He served on the board of directors for the chamber of commerce in Utah County, where he was directly responsible for government relations among the several cities encompassed by the chamber.

Bolli is also an adjunct professor of business law at Snow College in Ephraim. He has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver, and a bachelor of arts degree in American studies from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.

Bolli attended the reception with his wife, Erin. The Bollis were drawn to Hermiston partly because of the city’s size and its proximity to surrounding natural attractions, but mainly because of the community focus on family which the job announcement emphasized.

“There’s a faith-based council,” Bolli said. “That meant a lot to us as a family. We want to raise our kids in a place that accepts family because that really is our top priority in life.”

Bob Layman
Bob Layman
Layman has more than 30 years of city management experience, his most recent position being township manager for Westtown Township, Penn., which he held for 11 years.

Layman has a master of arts degree in political science from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisc., and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, Penn.

“We’re no strangers to the Northwest,” said Layman, whose wife, Pat, grew up outside of Portland. The Laymans also have a grown son who is interested in moving to Seattle; “so, from a personal standpoint, we very much are interested in being out in this area,” Layman said.

Professionally, Layman is enticed by Hermiston’s economy as well as its outreach to the Hispanic community.

“You can’t miss that it’s a very inclusive community; and to me, that’s very welcoming,” he said.

Cathy Sinnard
Cathy Sinnard
Sinnard was town manager for Monument, Colo., for eight years. Before that, she served the city of Pueblo, Colo., for 12 years as director of planning and development, assistant city manager, and senior planner, among other positions.

Sinnard has a bachelor of arts degree in geography and political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a master of planning and community development degree from the University of Colorado at Denver.

“One thing that really drew me to the ad for this job was the discussion of celebrating the culture and the diversity here, which is something I miss a lot about Pueblo,” she said.

Smith has been in city management for over 15 years and has served as city manager of Fort Madison, Iowa, for the last five years. Prior to his position in Fort Madison, Smith was assistant city manager and planning director in Poplar Bluff, Mo., “a city about the size of Hermiston,” he said.

Byron Smith
Byron Smith
Smith worked with the League of Arizona Cities and Towns in Phoenix from 1998 to 2004. He said that, in Arizona, he “had a chance to experience different communities throughout the state of Arizona, the different styles of the managers, and the way their communities took care of things.”

Smith has a master of public administration degree from the University of Kansas, a bachelor of science degree in business management from Brigham Young University and an associate of arts degree in business administration from Eastern Arizona College.

“I hope that I have the chance to improve on the great things that have been going on here in the city of Hermiston,” Smith said. “As I’ve been researching the community, there are many things that are going in a great direction. And continuing to build the economic base here and move forward in this community would be an exciting opportunity.”

Smith was strongly attracted to Hermiston because of what he saw of the community’s approach to diversity.

“I grew up in southeast Arizona, where we had a diverse community, where we worked together trying to accomplish things across difficult lines — religious, ethnic, those types of things — and I was really excited to see that Hermiston wants to continue to do that. I want my children to see that as they grow up and have that opportunity that I did.”

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