Longest-serving administrator in Lane County history launches transition

Presenter: Lane County prepares for the transition to a new county administrator. Steve Mokrohisky arrived in May, 2014, and is the longest-serving administrator in Lane County history. He spoke with the commissioners Aug. 25:

Steve Mokrohisky (Lane County, administrator): Over the past year, I’ve been weighing the right time for Lane County and for me to begin the process of transitioning to new leadership. 

After nearly 13 years in this role, I’ve decided that now is the right time to begin that process. I’m committed to continuing to serve through 2027, but I’ve made this decision now to ensure that we have a thoughtful, smooth and inclusive transition with an eye towards long-term success for Lane County, our employees, and the people we serve.

I came to Lane County in 2014 shortly after a period of disruption and instability. My commitment to the board, employees and community at the time was that I would work with others to solve problems, to create long-term stability, to manage resources responsibly, and to provide the highest quality of services for our residents.

We now have a workforce that is clear about our purpose to improve lives, and a culture in Lane County that reflects who we are as public servants: Leading with passion to serve, driven to connect, and focused on solutions. 

When I reflect on the past 13 years, I’m reminded of the many challenges and opportunities that we have faced.

You know we love a good challenge and will never run away from it, but actually run towards the problem when things get hard. I think about our journey to a structurally balanced budget with stabilized services, innovative programs that establish best practices for others to follow, increased bond ratings that lower the cost to taxpayers, and healthiest employer rankings that make Lane County an employer of choice.

I think about the thousands of units of new housing, new mobile crisis services, and innovative deflection program that reduces recidivism; tens of thousands of residents that have received health care from our health clinics. 

I think about the challenges of the pandemic era and the destruction of the Holiday Farm Fire and other natural disasters, as well as the transformation of our organization and the rebuilding of our communities in the aftermath of those crises.

More than anything, I think about the people, those that we serve with, those we partner with, and most importantly, the people that we serve, the people in Lane County. Our employees, our partners and our residents are simply the best. It has been and continues to be a great privilege to serve our community with all of you.

I have immense gratitude for this board and the previous boards that have supported me and our staff teams all these years. I was recently informed that I’m currently the longest serving administrator in Oregon and the longest in Lane County’s history, forever (for whatever that’s worth). 

And it dawned on me that I’ve worked with a lot of dedicated elected officials over the past many years, including 11 county commissioners, four sheriffs, three district attorneys, two assessors, three governors, three Eugene mayors, two Springfield mayors—you know, the list goes on.  

On a personal note, what a joy and privilege it has been and continues to be to call Lane County home, and for Liz and I to raise our daughters in this community. They were five and two when we moved here. Now they’re primed to graduate from high school. Lane County is our home and we plan to keep it that way.

Commissioners, again, my deep appreciation to you for supporting me and our staff. I’m not going anywhere and I remain committed to our work in Lane County.

In fact, we have a lot of work to do in the months ahead, and I commit to you that we will work hard to ensure a thoughtful, smooth, and inclusive transition over the next year and a half, continuing the work that we began 13 years ago to establish ongoing stability and set Lane County up for great progress in the years to come. 

Presenter: After passing former Lane County Administrator Bill Van Vactor for length of service, Steve Mokrohisky prepares for the handoff to his successor.