South Tahoe city manager on the road interviewing for jobs

By Kathryn Reed

Halfway into his three-year contract with South Lake Tahoe, Tony O’Rourke is looking for another job.

He has been out of the office quite a bit in a quest to move on. He says the decision has more to do with his family than it does professional reasons.

Tony O'Rourke

“For the long term I need to find a solution to this personal issue,” O’Rourke, 57, told Lake Tahoe News.

Today and Wednesday he is in Medford interviewing to be city manager of that Southern Oregon town. He is one of four finalists for the job.

O’Rourke started with South Tahoe in August 2010 with a salary of $175,000.

The Medford job pays between $138,000 and $152,000 a year, plus benefits.

O’Rourke has informed the entire South Lake Tahoe City Council about his need to move someplace else. He said a number of cities have approached him about leading their community, but geographically they don’t all meet his family’s needs.

Mayor Claire Fortier said the council would prefer O’Rourke stays, but understands the reasons he wants to move on.

“Tony has been a very, very effective city manager; doing the things we needed done,” Fortier said.

While O’Rourke’s review has been on the closed session agenda since last fall, this council has yet to formally critique him. Fortier said the council individually reviewed him, she gathered their input and that O’Rourke then did a self-analysis. She said the council has been waiting to all be together to go over the review with O’Rourke, which could be at the April 17 meeting. However, by then it might not matter because he could be submitting his resignation letter.

While he is out of town, Nancy Kerry does his job — despite not having the title of assistant city manager — just the responsibility.