New trio of candidates for Centralia city manager will appear at the open house next week

By The Chronicle Staff

Next Wednesday, three new candidates vying to become Centralia’s next city manager will be at an open house and reception to introduce themselves and meet with residents, according to a city news release.

The open house will be Oct. 16 from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Centralia Train Depot Multipurpose Room at 210 N. Railroad Ave. held in downtown Centralia.

The following day, on Thursday, October 17, the Centralia City Council will hold a special executive session at 8 a.m. to conduct its own interviews with the three potential candidates. This meeting is not public and no action will be taken following the meeting, the release said.

This comes after three previous candidates underwent the same procedure last summer. These candidates were Robert Harrison, Chandra Wax and Jennifer Wills.

After interviews, the council ultimately decided that none of them were suitable for the position and continued to work with Prothman’s consultants to find new candidates.

The first new candidate is Roxanne Miles, who has served as Pierce County Parks and Recreation Director since 2017. She previously served as the county’s business and financial operations manager and has also worked for the Pierce County Juvenile Court and Metro Parks Tacoma.

Miles holds a master’s degree in business administration from Corban University and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Pacific Lutheran University.

The second new candidate is Robert Maul, who has served as the city of Camas’ planning manager since 2014. During this time, he also served as Camas’ interim community development director and, prior to that, as Battlefields City Council’s deputy planner and director of community development.

Maul holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Northern Colorado.

The last new candidate is Michael Thomas, who served as city manager for Amity, Oregon, from 2019 to 2023. He previously served in the U.S. Air Force, where he retired as a lieutenant colonel after a 20-year career and was a squadron commander and master combat systems operator.

Thomas holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Oregon, a master’s degree in business administration from Trident University International, a master’s degree in military operational arts and sciences from Air University, and a bachelor’s degree in management from the US Air Force Academy.

The Centralia city manager position became vacant after former longtime city manager Rob Hill retired in May. Since then, Parks Director and Assistant City Manager Amy Buckler has stepped in as interim city manager while the city continues its search.