Welcome Message from New City Manager Gary Milliman

I am pleased to return to full time public service as the City Manager in Talent.

A City Manager first needs to be a good listener and observer.  This will be the focus of my first weeks serving as Talent City Manager.  I need to learn the community and its people.  I need to learn the existing system of the Talent city government.  I need to meet with the Mayor and Councilors to learn about their priorities and vision for the community.  I need to become acquainted with the City Staff, and learn about their abilities and concerns.  I need to begin to establish working relationships with our partner agencies in the region, and with grant-funding agencies at all levels. And, I need to learn all of those passwords and codes that seem to permeate internal systems to keep them secure.  All while also dealing with managing the business of the day.

For me, public service is a vocation and an avocation.  I appreciate the willingness of the City Council to allow my use of my one-day-per-month administrative leave time to continue my service as a Municipal Court Judge in Brookings, Port Orford and Bandon.  I think I “got the bug” for public service while participating in the Boy Scout program where our troop was very public service oriented.  And, during the City-hosted “student government day” in high school, I chose the role of “City Administrator for a day.” 

I’ll be attending at least one meeting of each of the City’s Commissions and Committees over the course of the next month.  And I would also like to hear from residents and business operators.  My email is gmilliman@cityoftalent.org and I can be reached through the City Hall main telephone number at (541) 535-1566.   Questions, complaints, suggestions and accolades are all welcome.

A little about my city management philosophy. First and foremost, I am a subscriber to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Code of Ethics (COE).  The COE has 12 tenants, and can be found here:  https://icma.org/page/icma-code-ethics.

My work ethic has been consistent with these guidelines throughout my career.  Chief among my working practices is to conduct myself in a manner that maintains public confidence in the position of City Manager and the profession, the integrity of the City government, and my responsibility to uphold the public trust.

City Managers are not policy makers, but can play a role in assisting the City Council in making policy.  My practice is to submit proposals to the City Council; provide them with facts, technical and professional advice about options; and collaborate with them in setting goals for the community and the organization.

It is important for the City Manager and all City Staff to recognize that the elected City Council is accountable to the community for the decisions they make, and the City Manager and staff are accountable to the City Council for implementing those decisions.  While I may not always agree with a Council policy decision, I always work with staff to implement that direction to the best of our ability.  There is a sign on my desk at City Hall that reads simply that “It CAN be done.”

It has been my practice to serve all members of the City Council equally and impartially.  The City Manager and staff should stay out of politics, should not endorse or oppose any candidate for Mayor or the City Council, and should keep all members of the City Council equally informed.

Tenant 9 of the COE calls on the City Manager to keep the community informed on local government affairs, and to encourage and facilitate active engagement and constructive communication between community members and City officials.

In my first job in local government as an Administrative Assistant with the City of Bell Gardens in Los Angeles County my basic assignment was to manage community relations, organize community events and assist the City with implementing a new urban renewal program.  The City had just levied its first property tax and my first assignment was responding to resident concerns and questions. My role in Bell Gardens continuously expanded, and came to include assignments such as managing code enforcement, accounts payable, procurement, managing the hiring process, implementing transit service, managing a citywide street tree program, and the construction of a community center and a public works facility, serving as interim Public Works and Parks and Recreation Directors, and as disaster planning/management coordinator …and basically handling anything that fell off the City Managers’ desk.  I served as interim City Manager twice before leaving for my first regular City Manager job at age 28.

From that point on I have enjoyed a long and varied career in local government…with a three year hiatus during which I organized a group of investors to acquire and operate the California Western Railroad…the historic “Skunk Train” in northern California.

Past experience has been successful and, on the whole, enjoyable.  But it is now time to apply that experience to assist Talent in continuing to move forward in its recovery from the devastating fires of 2020 and to develop the City organization consistent with the City Council’s overarching goal of having a well-run organization that proactively plans for the future.

My initial observations are that Talent has an active and involved citizenry.  The City Council and the City Staff are dedicated to serving the community.  The City has a small staff with big challenges.

Among those challenges is implementing the City Council’s vision for rebuilding the community, dealing with aging infrastructure, and operations costs rising at a faster pace than revenue…a challenge faced by most Oregon cities.

About me? I am a native of Los Angeles and have resided in Oregon for about 16 years.  My first wife…a cancer victim…and I met in high school and enjoyed 49 years of marriage. We have two daughters and two grandchildren.  My current wife of two years is originally from China.  She also has two children and two grandchildren.  We decided to relocate from Brookings to Medford before the Talent City Manager position became available, and we are still in the midst of moving.