The Eugene City Council announced Wednesday that Dennis Taylor of Billings, Mont., is the top candidate for the next city manager.
Taylor, the current city manager of Billings and the former city manager of Missoula and Helena, Mont., was one of two semi-finalists chosen last weekend.
Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey joined the City Council to interview five potential candidates, narrowing the field down to two after about 17 hours of interviewing. City officials acknowledged that both semi-finalists would be a good choice for the position, but Taylor emerged as the chief candidate.
City department heads, city union representatives and community organization representatives also participated in the interviewing process.
Taylor held positions as deputy director and chief of staff for the Montana Department of Justice, and served as chief administrative officer for Missoula.
Ward 3 City Councilor David Kelly said Taylor’s experience in government impressed him, along with Taylor’s dedication to teamwork between the city council and the city manager.
“He’s very bright,” Kelly said. “I took it as a very good sign that he had done his homework before coming here.”
A small group of City Councilors and city staff will visit Montana to complete a thorough background check on Taylor, and a final decision is expected in late February pending “positive results” of the background check.

— Jan Montry