A new Brookings City Manager was announced in a Friday, June 14th, City of Brookings press release, after the Brookings City Council voted unanimously to hire Timothy Rundel during a special meeting June 13th.
Rundel, currently serving as the City Manager of Weed, California where he has worked since March 2020, and has been a longtime city manager in both the Midwest as well as Northern California, and has now been hired to lead the City of Brookings.
New City Manager Timothy Rundel, who brings more than 23 years of experience in public administration, community development and economic development, begins work in Brookings on July 22nd.
Rundel was hired after a six-month nationwide search. More than 20 people applied for the position, many serving as city managers elsewhere. The council interviewed three very qualified and experienced candidates, and chose Rundel because of his strong track record of leadership, community involvement, and successful city management experience.
“It is an honor to be appointed as the next City Manager of Brookings,” Rundel said. “While living in Siskiyou County for the last 4 1/2 years, I have visited and dropped a lot of tourist dollars in Brookings. Every city manager has a ‘dream list’ of cities they would love to manage if given the opportunity. When I learned about the opening in Brookings via contact from a recruitment firm, I jumped at the opportunity. I feel that I can bring my over two decades of municipal management experience to the City of Brookings and make a significant impact working in unison with the council and city staff.”
Under his leadership, Weed recovered from a tragic fire that destroyed the sawmill that was the town’s largest employer, along with 60 homes. He was able to work with county, state and federal officials to get relief funds and rebuild the mill, saving numerous jobs. Rundel worked diligently with the Weed City Council to get Weed financially sound again and leaves the community with the largest reserve fund in its 100-plus year history.
Prior to working in Weed, located at the base of Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County, Rundel was the City Manager of Durant, Oklahoma from October 2016 to August 2019, and was the City Manager of Auburn, California from May 2014 to August 2016. He also was the assistant City Manager of Midwest City, Oklahoma from April 2007 to May 2014, and assistant City Manager of Yukon, Oklahoma from August 2001 to April 2007.
Rundel has a B.A. from Northwestern Oklahoma State University and graduated with a Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma in 1998. He served for six years in the Air Force and Oklahoma Air National Guard where he was named “Airman of the Year” in 1994. Tim was a finalist for City Manager of the Year in the state of Oklahoma in 2018. He has two adult children that live in Chicago and Oklahoma City.
“This is one of the biggest decisions a city council will ever make and I believe we made an excellent choice,” Mayor Isaac Hodges said. “While we had a number of qualified candidates, Mr. Rundel’s wealth of experience, leadership philosophy, and curious approach to the needs of our city sold me. In addition, the current climate of governmental affairs requires leadership that does not shy away from difficult issues, and Mr. Rundel has proven to be a man of integrity and tenacity. I am excited to see the positive effect Mr. Rundel will bring to our city.”
During the interview process, Rundel said he considered Brookings a dream job. He has vacationed in Brookings a dozen times and “fell in love with the beauty and prime of the community and City of Brookings.”
Brookings City Council members said they were pleased there were so many qualified applicants, and are excited about Rundel’s experience and ideas for running a city government. Tim Rundell is exceptionally qualified and brings a vast amount of experience, skills, and abilities to our city.
Brookings Police Chief Kelby McCrae filled in as interim City Manager and will return full time to his public safety duties overseeing the police and fire departments. “Chief McCrae and the department directors did an excellent job navigating the City through this transition period,” Councilor Andy Martin said. “Tim will be able to hit the ground running with an experienced, effective leadership team, and the City staff will benefit from having a new City Manager with such an impressive resume in leading similar-size communities.”
