At the May 28 City Council meeting, Hood River Mayor Paul Blackburn announced that he and his family will move out of state in September. He will resign as mayor at that time. Blackburn was elected mayor in 2014 and re-elected to two-year terms in 2016 and 2018.
Blackburn’s wife, Dr. Kristen Dillon, is the Director of Medicaid for the Columbia Gorge region and has been offered a chance to work on health policy at the national level. Her new employer will issue a press release in June with additional details.
“I have profoundly mixed emotions,” Blackburn said. “It has been a tremendous honor to serve as mayor over the last five years and leaving is hard. But Kristen’s new job is a real opportunity for her to work to improve our health care system on a much larger stage. I’m excited for this next chapter.”
In accordance with the city charter and council procedures, council vacancies shall be filled by a majority of the remaining members of the council.
City Manager Rachael Fuller said the council will discuss the succession process at its next meeting, June 10. With past council vacancies, the council has accepted applications and done interviews before appointing a successor.
Blackburn served on Hood River City Council from 2004-2008, when he stepped down because the family moved to Ecuador for six months. He also serves on the board of the United Way of the Columbia Gorge. He and Kristen and their two daughters, both grown, moved to Hood River in 2000.
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