The Ashland City Council approved Gary Milliman of Brookings to serve as the City Manager Pro Tem at their July 20 regular business meeting. The appointment comes in the wake of the current City Manager Pro Tem, Adam Hanks, resignation set for August 6. Milliman will also serve to assist the City in seeking a permanent City Manager and would also help identify those candidates.

Milliman has more than 40 years of experience in City government and in 2019 was given the Oregon League of Cities award for “outstanding public service and exceptional contributions to city government in Oregon.” Most recently, Milliman served 11 years as Brookings City Manager where he led a downtown revitalization effort, implemented a fuel tax to repair city streets, assisted in emergency planning and preparation before and during the Chetco Bar fire of 2017, and collaborated with higher education leaders on a development plan and funding for the Curry campus of Southwestern Oregon Community College.

“I’m a calm person in a crisis and I’m good at bringing people together. I pride myself on that,” said Milliman of his assets in seeking to assist Ashland during its transition.

Milliman has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and currently serves as a senior fellow for the Center for Public Service at Portland State University. He’s also a senior advisor for the Oregon City/County Management Association. For many years he was the leading League of Cities Southern California official.
 
“He has the education and years of experience along with a collaborative background that make him a strong candidate for Ashland right now,” Mayor Julie Akins stated. “That said, and it must be said, I will miss the hard work and years of energy Adam Hanks brought to the position as well. He’s leaving big shoes to fill. I’ve enjoyed working with him.”