Medford City Council has selected a former Riverside County, California, official with decades of experience in public and private sectors to be its next city manager.

Robert D. Field, who most recently worked as San Bernardino’s city manager, has been tapped to succeed Brian Sjothun, according to a Thursday release from the city of Medford.

The council will formally select Field and adopt his contract at the Thursday, Aug. 1, meeting, according to the city. He is expected to start mid September.

Sjothun will retire after more than 20 years of service at the city, including as city manager since 2016.

Field was picked from a pool of 35 candidates and three finalists. The other finalists were Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic and Tillamook City Manager Nathan George.

Field has more than 23 years of local government experience and eight years in the private sector, according to releases issued by the city. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from University of California, Riverside and a master’s degree in leadership and organizational studies from California Baptist University.

According to Field’s LinkedIn page, his career highlights include more than 21 years at Riverside County as the assistant county executive officer of the county’s Economic Development Agency and two years, five months as San Bernardino’s city manager between September 2020 and January 2023.

His responsibilities at Riverside County included managing construction for the county’s capital improvement program and managing its workforce investment programs. The agency had 24 divisions, more than 800 staff and an annual budget of more than $600 million.

Field lists no details on the page about his stint as San Bernardino’s city manager, but according to a report in the San Bernardino Sun, Field resigned the position in a December 2022 city council meeting without comment, but after three closed sessions with the council.

His salary in 2022 as San Bernardino’s city manager was $285,000 with total pay and benefits of $401,703, according to public pay and pension database Transparent California. In 2021, his salary was $295,332, with total pay and benefits amounting to $398,344.

The proposed salary for Field’s position as Medford city manager is $233,100 per year starting Sept. 16, according to the council agenda for the Aug. 1 meeting. The agenda describes the salary as 4% below a current market average of $242,016.

Sjothun will be paid through Dec. 21, resulting in a total over-budget cost of $108,100 for fiscal year 2025.

Medford City Councilor Tim D’Alessandro said in the city’s release that the council has confidence in Field.

“Robert Field’s vast experience and proven track record in municipal management and economic development make him an ideal fit for Medford,” D’Alessandro said. “We are excited to welcome him to our community and look forward to his leadership.”