FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Independence City Council Hires New City Manager
Independence, Oregon (May 10, 2022) — After months of recruiting efforts, the City Council approved a contract with Kenna West as the new City Manager for the City of Independence. Mayor John McArdle and Independence City Council expressed their excitement about Ms. West joining the Independence team. “Among the slew of capable candidates that interviewed for the position, Ms. West proved to not only have the experience necessary for the job, but she understands what it will take to continue making Independence a great place to live, shop, and play,” said McArdle.
With over 10 years of experience in public service, most recently as the City Manager at the City of Willamina, Oregon, a Juris Doctor from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark, a Bachelor of Arts from George Fox University (4.0 GPA), and a multitude of various honors and activities, West joins the City of Independence under a polished and experienced career.
Ms. West has proven her ability to juggle different responsibilities and exceed performance goals while holding key positions at Marion County, the City of Salem, and the law firm Reinisch Mackenzie. Constantly working to improve her community’s fiscal position, West has managed budgets over $5 million and introduced key enterprise funds into her community.
Recently, West helped rebuild and rebrand the City of Willamina from a “little sister in the West Valley” to a strong, well-known, and vital leader in the region. In the last four years, West utilized her grant writing expertise to receive nearly $10 million in grant awards including receiving one of only three $2 million “earmarks” from the federal delegate. Ms. West also serves on a Board of Directors for the League of Oregon Cities, in addition to numerous advisory boards and committees.
As the City Manager of the City of Independence, West believes in the future of Independence. “I hope to help this gem of a city become an even brighter, more brilliant, dazzling diamond,” said West.
In her spare time, Kenna enjoys reading, gardening, and competing in a local pro-am barrel race circuit.
West will officially start as the City Manager for the City of Independence on June 27, 2022.
