The Tigard City Council placed City Manager Brent Stockwell on administrative leave this week — after just four months on the job.

The move comes at a tumultuous time for the city of Tigard, as Mayor Heidi Lueb resigned last month after an investigation found she engaged in disrespectful workplace conduct and records obtained by OPB revealed several years of poor relations between city management and staff.

Stockwell joined the city in June after serving as a city administrator in Scottsdale, Arizona.

He took the reins at City Hall after the departure of City Manager Steve Rymer in 2024. According to multiple former employees, Rymer failed to act on years of complaints against the city’s former Assistant City Manager Kathy Nyland.

The city council met in an executive session Tuesday to discuss records exempt from public disclosure and the “performance review of public officers or employees,” but did not discuss or vote on the matter in a public meeting. Executive sessions are closed to the public.

Oregon public meetings law allows public bodies to discuss personnel matters and come to a “consensus” in closed executive sessions but states that final actions and decisions must be made via a public vote. The law is less clear on what constitutes a “final decision” but the Oregon Attorney General’s Public Records and Meetings Manual suggests “a governing body choose a public decision unless a final public decision is clearly not required.”

Kelsey Anderson, Tigard’s interim communication manager, said in an email that Stockwell’s leave is not considered “final” and therefore the council was not required to make the decision in public.

However, the Public Records and Meetings Manual also notes that “a governing body cannot evade the ‘final action’ requirement by using coded terms.”

Officials in Tigard declined to say why Stockwell was placed on leave.

“Because it’s a personnel matter, we can’t comment on CM Stockwell’s absence,” Anderson said via email.

Stockwell could not be reached for comment. His city email Thursday had an out of office message with the subject line, “Automatic reply: administrative leave.”

The City Council is scheduled to meet Oct. 7. On the agenda as of Thursday: A report from the city manager and filling the vacant mayoral position.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/02/tigard-city-manager-on-leave-mayor-resignation/