FILE - An undated provided photo of City Hall in Vancouver, Wash.
Courtesy of the City of Vancouver
The Vancouver City Council will vote on whether to remove Lon Pluckhahn from his role as city manager on Friday, Nov. 13. A notice was published about the special meeting late Tuesday before the Veterans Day holiday.
City officials provided no explanation in public documents about why Vancouver’s top appointed official could be terminated. A city of Vancouver spokesperson, one city councilor and Pluckhahn did not respond to interview requests. A second councilor declined to comment.
Pluckhahn received a positive review from the city last January. In it he was described as having “excellent performance,” as reported by The Columbian. He was given a 5% pay raise at the time.
The city manager is akin to the city’s chief executive officer. Their role includes developing biennial budgets, carrying out the City Council’s priorities and managing city departments.
The City Council voted to hire Pluckhahn as the city manager in late 2024. He served as the deputy city manager for three years before that. He was also a city manager in Iowa and Wisconsin.
He was first hired as a city employee under Vancouver’s previous City Manager Eric Holmes, who served in the role for 14 years.
According to city documents previewing Friday’s public meeting, councilors must provide a reason to remove the city manager after they vote on a resolution. The documents note that Pluckhahn’s dismissal was previously discussed during three executive session meetings since October.
If councilors decide to fire Pluckhahn, he could be immediately replaced by Deputy City Manager Lisa Brandl. His employment could be officially terminated on Dec. 14, 2026.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
