Milton-Freewater council calls special meeting after city manager candidate withdraws
By Dan Thesman on Monday, July 27th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
MILTON-FREEWATER — The Milton-Freewater City Council will hold a special session this evening (Monday) to navigate key administrative transitions, following top candidate Nicole Schneider’s decision to withdraw from the city manager search. Schneider, a public sector veteran with over 26 years of experience, officially pulled her name this past Thursday.
City leaders had offered Schneider a $150,000 starting salary last month to manage the municipal government and its roughly $46 million budget. Mayor Mike Odman confirmed Schneider’s withdrawal, noting the council must pivot to address two major leadership vacancies.
“Nicole officially withdrew her candidacy,” Odman said. “The council special session will be to discuss next steps concerning a potential interim and city manager recruitment.”
In addition to the chief executive post, council members will address the recruitment of a new public works superintendent. The agenda item tasks the council with discussing strategy to fill the role which oversees city infrastructure, utilities, and street operations.
During Monday’s session, the council will evaluate interim options to ensure seamless municipal operations while preparing to relaunch the city manager search alongside the superintendent recruitment.
