Albany's deputy mayor is heading west for a county administrator job in Oregon.
City Commissioner of Administrative Services Rachel McEneny has accepted the position of Benton County Administrator.
"I was reached out by a recruiter. Something I've really enjoyed, part of this job that I've loved, is working with organizations and building teams and taking heart and hard areas in public service," said McEneny. "So I was reached out by a recruiter to talk to the folks at Benton County. They have a very different way of how they hire. We do three or four rounds with the community, the employees, directors and commissioners as well as elected officials, stakeholders from the community, business and the College of Oregon State were all part of the panelists who would ask me questions. So it's been going on, I would say it's it was a very, they called it a competition in ways because they brought it down to three candidates. But it's been a long process and very thoughtful process. And so that's how it began. And the more and more I was interviewing with them, the more I really, really enjoyed them. I felt like these were folks that I could work with, that really wanted, they were very passionate about sustainability working on the houselessness issues that are just rampant out west and are coming here in the East. And they were very sincere professionals. And I thought that this was something that I really wanted to explore. And the more I looked at possible new colleagues, the more I wanted to work with them."
McEneny, who comes from a family closely identified with Albany, has no qualms about taking on a new job 3,000 miles from home.
"The topography is fairly similar, although the snow is more in the mountains," McEneny said. "I love the outdoors. I think being out in nature, every day is part of my life, I spend every morning out at the Albany Municipal Golf Course, walking my, running with my dog, and I find it really therapeutic. And that's a nice way of life, I'm going to be 45 minutes from the ocean. And really, a lot of the cities and the work that they're doing out in out west or it's something we should explore. And it's things like that I can bring my 25 years of experience in government to the west, but as well as I'm there also to learn and bring some of that experience. And I think that's why they eventually chose me, is that we've done some really terrific work here in the city of Albany that I've been part of. And I think some of that is what they're looking for, thinking out of the box, working with a municipal budget, being able to position yourself for federal and state funding, having a voice in state and local government. And I love local government because you are the closest to the community constituents, the people, and you have an incredible ability to make a change in their life almost immediately. Sometimes it's a pothole. Sometimes it's garbage pickup or a tree on your front lawn. But it's also like the quality of life issues that are so important, that the reason why people chose to live in Albany are many of the same some of the reasons why people chose and move to Benton County."
She jokes that folks at city hall are probably scratching their heads, wondering "how could a McEneny pack up and leave Albany?"
"Because of my family history," said McEneny. "You know, we've been in Albany for over three generations as well. And people of course, know my dad Jack McEneny very well. And there's no one who's a bigger advocate lover or values, the history in the fabric of the city of Albany. So I think that that was probably their first approach. People in the city of Albany are in a lot better place. And one of my proudest achievements with them was to give them pay equity. And that was something that was worked on. It was thoughtful, they were patient, settling 13 collective bargaining units, you know, coming into a $20 million deficit when you were coming in as the budget director. We've had severe challenges and the patience of those who work for the city of Albany who stuck with us through the really, really hard times. That's the heartening thing, I was able to, because of the mayor, really bring in some of the best and brightest folks. And they didn't live in the city of Albany, they moved to the city of Albany, they bought houses in the city of Albany, and I get to run a sustainability team, I get to run an innovation team. And a lot of those are younger people who have come to government, and I've really been able to recruit into the Join Albany campaign, but as well, of really building that, and making them part of it. And so I think they're really committed and I think Mayor Sheehan is in an excellent position. I don't think they're gonna miss a beat."
McEneny's career in public service includes seven years with Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s administration, where she aimed to improve efficiency and governance within the city. Here's Sheehan, a third-term Democrat.
"She's worked really hard to modernize our city systems to ensure that we're really looking at our workforce strategically, and ensuring that we're doing what we can to attract and retain the best for our city workforce. So, she will be missed, but I am also really excited for her. This is a great opportunity that really taps into her talents and I think she'll be incredibly successful in her next endeavor," said Sheehan.
McEneny says her accomplishments were not without bumps in the road.
"My hardest years working for the city was during the pandemic. It was a very, very difficult time. And I think most people will have a little bit of the fatigue. And it was a very, very difficult time. And, and so you know, we had a lot less people on hand. And the city services were limited, but we had to continue to be there every day. So that motivation, and keeping people engaged and keeping people employed was probably the biggest challenge that we faced, as well as our ransomware attack," McEneny said.
McEneny says Albany will always be home.
"I start the job on October 2nd. So I'll be scaling down my responsibilities with the city. I want to spend time with my daughter, who is going off to college and a few weeks, and have a few adventures I'd like to see in the Northeast once again. I like being outside and I've never really had a break between jobs. And then I also have to drive cross country. So I'm gonna be driving cross country at the end of September with my dog, and that's going to be a really interesting trip. I've never done that," said McEneny.
Sheehan intends to fill McEneny's shoes before that.
"I'll be making an announcement very soon I want to make sure that we have the opportunity to thank Rachel for her service and to really focus on what her accomplishments have been. But one of the things that she's really good at doing, is creating a great team, so I'll be excited to announce her replacement within the next couple of weeks. But safe to say she's created a really strong bench which is one of her talents, which is a really important thing to be able to do,” Sheehan said.
