Turnover among top officials at Multnomah County has cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years, as the government brought in consultants to find job candidates amid a wave of retirements and other departures among its leaders.
The county has experienced more leadership turnover — and paid out more to recruitment consultants — than neighboring Clackamas and Washington counties. A Multnomah County spokesperson defended the county’s reliance on outside recruiters, saying the high number of top job openings “exceeded internal capacity” of the county’s human resources department.
Sharon Meieran, who sat on the Board of Commissioners for eight years and was a vocal critic of the government she led, said turnover has long been a pitfall for the county. That issue has festered in recent years, she said…