TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Councilor Vanessa Nordyke, Ward 7
SUBJECT:
title
Motion from Councilor Vanessa Nordyke to appoint Krishna Namburi as interim City Manager, direct staff to prepare an interim city manager employment agreement, and defer any recruitment for a new City Manager until at least September 2025.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
end
MOTION:
I move to appoint Krishna Namburi as interim City Manager, direct staff to prepare an interim city manager employment agreement, and defer any recruitment for a new City Manager until at least September 2025.
DISCUSSION:
Ms. Namburi has been serving as acting-in-capacity City Manager since February 10, 2025. To provide stable leadership for the organization, City Council should appoint Ms. Namburi as interim City Manager.
She has been serving the City of Salem as the Deputy City Manager and overseeing the Enterprise Services Department. With an impressive career in executive leadership roles with the City, Krishna brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our community.
Her professional journey has been marked by a commitment to transforming and leading organizations toward greater efficiency and effectiveness. She has a unique ability to help departments achieve self-sufficiency, ultimately fostering a culture of growth and development. Through her leadership, she not only focuses on organizational outcomes but also emphasizes the professional and personal growth of her employees.
One of Krishna's most notable achievements has been her successful realignment of strategy and operations across multiple departments. Under her guidance, internal services have evolved from a reactive posture to a proactive approach, ensuring that city government is better equipped to meet the needs of our residents. This transformative work has led to greater efficiencies across city services, making our city more effective in serving the public.
Ms. Namburi should be given sufficient time in this interim role to help lead the City through both the local option levy election and the City’s FY ’26 budget process and adoption. Delaying a recruitment for a new city manager until September will allow her to establish stable leadership for the organization without the added focus on a new city manager recruitment.
Staff is directed to prepare an employment agreement for this interim role for Ms. Namburi and provide it to Council for its consideration. Council may consider the terms of the employment agreement at an executive session and approval of the agreement will occur at a regular council meeting open to the public.
body
Attachments:
None