Matt Rodrigues will fill in as Eugene’s interim city manager

This story was updated to include additional information.

Eugene’s mayor will name Assistant City Manager Matt Rodrigues interim city manager next month when City Manager Sarah Medary retires, the city announced Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Rodrigues has served as one of Eugene’s two assistant city managers since May 2023 after being promoted from public works director, where he oversaw six divisions including city engineering, maintenance and transportation planning.

He started working for the city as a civil engineer in 2004 and went on to serve in three other engineering roles, most recently city engineer.

“We are fortunate to have a strong executive team in place at the City, and I am grateful that Matt Rodrigues will serve as City Manager Pro Tem,” Mayor Kaarin Knudson said in a release. “Matt is a thoughtful leader with deep insight to our City’s responsibilities and operations, and he has been a valued, steady partner in our work.”

He will take over Medary’s responsibilities and “maintain stability” as the City Council works to recruit the next permanent city manager, a process that is expected to wrap up in 2026.

The council hired a recruiting firm and launched a national search for the role this fall, with interviews scheduled in December and January.

Per the Eugene charter, it is the mayor’s responsibility to appoint an interim city manager when there is a vacancy in the job. Rodrigues’ term will end when the permanent replacement takes office.

Medary has served as city manager since 2019, and before that, led the city’s public works department and served as assistant city manager. She first began working for the city in 2005. In April she announced her plans to retire at the end of the year. 

Medary’s last day is Dec. 12, according to Elle O’Casey, the communications director with the city manager’s office.

The city manager, which runs the daily operations of Eugene government’s six departments, manages Eugene’s $800 million annual budget and oversees more than 2,000 employees.

Rodrigues was the second assistant city manager to join Eugene’s executive team. Kristie Hammitt has also served in the role since 2018. She was previously the executive director of the Central Services department.

The listed salary for the city manager role is between $238,076 to $319,217. Assistant city managers make between $210,891 and $252,241, according to the city’s salary schedule.