La Grande City Manager Robert Strope has officially retired after over seventeen years
By Garrett Christensen on Thursday, September 4th, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – After a seventeen-year and eight-month career, one of La Grande’s most venerable civil servants is finally passing the torch. On the evening of Tuesday, September 2nd, City of La Grande staff from across all departments, along with city councilors, both new and old, gathered at the Riverside Park Pavilion in celebration of now former City Manager Robert Strope’s well-earned retirement. Kind words were spoken, fond memories shared, more than a few tears were shed, and a handful of parting gifts were provided to mark the end of an era.
During the celebration, Elkhorn Media Group caught up with Robert Strope as he reflected on his career, gave his thoughts on what’s next for the city, and thought about how he plans to spend his retirement. The transcript of this conversation is as follows:
EMG: “Now that your years with the city are coming to an end, is there anything you’d like to say to the public in reflection?”
Robert Strope: “It’s been a privilege. This’s been seventeen years and eight months. The city council, the staff, and the community have been so supportive the entire time. It’s been truly a blessing and a privilege to serve the citizens of La Grande, and I look back on what I think is a pretty remarkable time because of the team that I was able to work with.”
EMG: “Do you think the city is in good hands with John O’Brien coming on board?”
Robert Strope: “I do. I haven’t spent a lot of time with John, but we went through quite an exhaustive process. I’ve had a number of opportunities to visit with him. I think he’s very excited to be here. He speaks highly of the team, and I think he’s getting integrated. I wish him all the best and I’m hoping he can come in and build off the foundation that we have here and keep us moving forward.”
EMG: “Is there anything that really stands out to you or that you look back on fondly with the city?”
Robert Strope: “There’s so many things that we’ve done. One of the things that we’re standing in is the pavilion. This thing burned down, and it was amazing the level of community support that came together to rebuild it better than it was. We just opened a $750 thousand dollar playground. Just way too many projects to point to.
Having been a part of a lot of those, it’s just really gratifying. I do think that La Grande is in a better position because of the people we’ve worked with over that time. There’s just a lot of things to be proud of. Mostly, I’m proud of the individuals that I worked with over seventeen years, the elected officials and the department directors and the city staff. They’re very dedicated, they love the city of La Grande, and they work really hard to make it a better place.”
EMG: “Now that you are stepping down, what are you going to be doing or are looking forward to most?”
“I think my wife has a pretty exhaustive list. We have two granddaughters that we’ll be spending more time with. Getting an opportunity to spend more time with family and continue to enjoy the area. It’s a beautiful place. It’s nice to be able to have coffee in my backyard in the morning and not worry about showing up to city hall.”
La Grande Mayor Justin Rock offered his own thoughts on Robert’s retirement, reflecting:
“I’ll miss him, we all will. He did a very good job with the city, and everyone should be proud to say that he was our city manager.”
Practically all current and former staff and council members in attendance offered a similar sentiment; happy for Robert to enjoy a well-earned retirement after years of service, sad to see him leave after an incredible with the city, yet ultimately optimistic about La Grande’s Future. Current city recorder Stacey Stockhoff remarked she was excited for Robert and, jokingly, somewhat jealous.
During the celebration, staff and councilors shared a few of their favorite memories from Robert’s time with the city. Aside from general happy reflections of working with or under Robert over the years, some more humorous highlights included (but were not limited to): An unnamed individual once sneaking into the council room to replace everyone’s name plates with “bald guy 1, 2, 3 etc.,” Robert politely reminding Police Chief Gary Bell on the day of his initial appointment that (paraphrasing somewhat), “you are one of the few people I can appoint that could get both of us fired, no pressure,” and a contract crew almost shutting off Robert’s water by mistake after his neighbor forgot to pay a water bill.
Aside from the fond memories and more than a few laughs, Robert officially ended his time with the city with a few parting gifts. These included a brand-new grill brought by staff, along with a custom firefighter’s helmet from city fire chief Emmit Cornford painted in Seattle Seahawks colors.
