Wheeler welcomes new city manager

Wheeler’s city council unanimously approved the hiring of Wesley Wootten to serve as city manager at their June council meeting, following the resignation of Pax Broeder.

Wootten assumed the role on June 24, bringing a background in nonprofits to the role where he says he hopes to support and listen to citizens to help council move the city forward.

“One thing that’s really important to me is that the city manager and us here in city hall are here to support the citizens of Wheeler,” Wooten said. “We’re not here to promote an agenda or our opinions, we’re just trying to help the town run and improve and it’s up to the council and citizens to tell us what they want.”

Born and raised in Delaware, Wootten studied public policy and history at the University of Delaware before completing a master’s degree in public administration at Delaware State. Wootten began his professional career in the nonprofit sector, working at charities focused on horticulture, housing and fighting HIV in Wilmington and Washington D.C.

But public service has always appealed, Wootten said, and after five years with nonprofits, he began to search for jobs in local government across the country, with Wheeler jumping off the page as an excellent opportunity to begin his career in municipal administration.

“It seemed like a really good fit because I know it’s a small town and I grew up in a small town just like it but on the east coast,” Wooten said. “And me just starting out as a city manager, I think this is a good place to start because I think I have the experience and the skills to do it and it just seemed like a good fit not only for me to start but I think I can do a good job here for Wheeler.”

After being hired on June 18, Wootten began work on June 24, with Broeder remaining for his first week to help ease the transition. Wootten said that he has been studying the city’s charter, county’s ordinances and Oregon statutes and familiarizing himself with projects and issues in the city as a first order of business.

Looking forward, Wootten said that he plans to prioritize continuing improvements to the city’s infrastructure by applying for grants to support street and water system repairs and upgrades. Wootten said that he would also like to work with the city council on projects to revitalize the section of Highway 101 running through downtown, support housing projects to grow the city’s workforce and diversify the city’s revenues.

Wootten praised the three other members of Wheeler’s city staff and their teamwork and support in helping him to acclimate to the new position. He said that together they would work to keep Wheeler clean and safe and to communicate with residents and businesses about their needs.

“I want to make sure that community engagement and communication in Wheeler is strong,” Wootten said, “because I want to make sure that they feel they’re being listened to and their voice is heard and that they feel that they can come here and rely on us for whatever they need.”