Baker City Hall.

The Baker City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 2 to ratify a contract with Barry Murphy as city manager.

Councilors voted unanimously on Dec. 26 to offer the job to Murphy, 44, a recently retired Air Force colonel and F-16 fighter pilot who moved to Baker City with his family. His wife, Cortney, is a 1998 Baker High School graduate.

The contract includes a starting salary of $105,000 per year. That’s the same amount that Jonathan Cannon earned when he started on Jan. 1, 2021. Cannon resigned in July 2023. Murphy will also receive a one-time bonus of $5,000 in January 2024, according to the contract.

Mayor Randy Daugherty said he believes hiring Murphy is a “positive move for Baker City.”

“He wants to be here, that’s another positive and if you look at what the council’s accomplished in two months, a little over two months, we’ve done quite a bit. We’ve calmed the waters and everything’s going along pretty good,” Daugherty said. “I am excited to work with him and customer service is his top priority, as is the council’s. I think it’s going to be a good fit for Baker. There’s a lot of optimism out there. We’re getting good feedback from the community and a lot of optimism. We think we’re on the right trail.”

City councilor Doni Bruland said Murphy “has the full support of the council. He has my complete confidence.”

Councilor Helen Loennig said she’s eager to start working with Murphy.

“I am excited for a new era with a new city manager and new city council,” Loennig said. “I believe we all want to work hard and get the city on track.”

Councilor Larry Pearson said Murphy “has an excellent background in similar positions in the military. He did very well in the interview, has impeccable references, and a strong desire to live here. I’ve known him and his family for quite some time and I’m confident he will do an excellent job for the citizens of Baker City. We’re fortunate to have him here. I’m looking forward to working with him on the many issues that we are facing.”

Councilor Loran Joseph agreed.

“I am very excited not only for Barry to start addressing the immediate concerns, but also for the chance he provides for a long-term solution at the city manager position,” Joseph said. “I believe he has the skill set and demeanor to succeed with any council through the upcoming challenges.”

“I also want to thank Jon France for stepping into an impossible situation and guiding the city through to the other side,” Joseph said. “To bring stability and teamwork back to city hall was no small feat.”

France served as interim city manager for six months starting in late June 2023. France was one of three finalists for the city manager position.

Councilor Nic Carman also lauded France’s efforts as interim city manager.

“Jon stepped up and did a great job during a very difficult time,” Carman said. “I would like to congratulate Barry Murphy on his new position as city manager. With Barry’s experience and dedication to Baker City, I am confident he will do a great job.”

A year of turmoil at City Hall

Cannon’s resignation was only part of the upheaval at City Hall during 2023.

All seven councilors resigned during a dispute, which led to a civil lawsuit, over whether three councilors, one short of a quorum as defined in the city charter, could appoint new councilors.

Judge Matt Shirtcliff of Baker County Circuit Court ruled Sept. 27 that three councilors could not appoint replacements to fill vacancies.

That ruling prompted the three remaining councilors — Beverly Calder, Ray Duman and Jason Spriet — to resign the same day, leaving the council with no members.

That triggered a state law which authorized the three Baker County commissioners to appoint four councilors — the minimum needed to constitute a quorum. On Oct. 18, commissioners appointed Bruland, Pearson, Daugherty and Roger Coles. Those four subsequently appointed Loran Joseph to ensure the council would have a quorum if one member missed a meeting. The five councilors then filled the final two vacancies, appointing Loennig and Carman.

New manager familiar with Baker City

Murphy said he first visited Baker City with his wife in 2003, and he fell in love with the area.

“I’ve always loved the mountains and the West, and seeing the valley here in Baker and the size of the city was perfect to me,” Murphy said.

The couple came frequently to visit Cortney’s parents, and she and their children stayed with her parents for extended periods when Murphy was on long-term deployments overseas.

“It’s always been a special place from that standpoint, too, where they took care of her and my family during the points when I was away,” Murphy said. “We’ve got lots of great memories about Baker.”

During his most recent assignment, as wing commander for the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, he wasn’t able to take his family, so they moved to Baker City in May 2023.

Murphy said he had planned to retire to Baker City.

“We bought a house back in 2019 and were hoping to retire here if we could and we decided we would go for it,” he said. “I’m thankful I got a job in town that we can settle here.”

He and his wife have seven children.

Murphy, who served 23 years in the Air Force, said he loved serving his country. He said he will bring that pride in service to his work at City Hall.

“We’re here as the city, employees of the city, to serve the people of Baker City and the residents of Baker City and I enjoyed doing that a lot,” he said. “I feel like the city staff already has that sense.”

Murphy said he also strives for excellence in whatever task he is confronted with.

“No matter what job we’re doing or what task it is, that we do it all to the best of our ability,” he said. “That’s the thing that I’d like to instill and continue and go from that route.”

Murphy said he plans to work closely with the city council to ensure Baker City’s future prosperity.

Although his professional career is with the Air Force, Murphy said his most recent job, as wing commander, was comparable in some ways to the city manager’s job.

“Towards the end of my time in the Air Force, I was still flying but I shifted to be in a position as a commander and the levels that I was commanding at the end were somewhat similar to what the city manager position is,” he said. “I was running a base that had fire and police and public works and things like that that are very similar to what the city has and what the city manager oversees.”

Murphy’s father was also an Air Force pilot, and he said he wanted to follow his father’s career from a young age.

During his Air Force career, Murphy served in several places around the globe, including Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Japan.

“We’re here as the city, employees of the city, to serve the people of Baker City and the residents of Baker City and I enjoyed doing that a lot. I feel like the city staff

already has that sense.”

— Baker City manager

Barry Murphy

Barry Murphy, the new Baker City manager, will attend his first meeting as manager Tuesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1655 First St.

The agenda includes a discussion about options to raise revenue to offset a projected deficit in the city’s general fund, which includes the police and fire departments, for the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2024.