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Mike Marshall, the executive director of the City Club of Portland, resigned today after fewer than two years in the job.
Marshall came to Portland in 2013 to run the same-sex marriage ballot campaign. When court decisions made that campaign moot, Marshall took over as manager of Gov. John Kitzhaber's successful 2014 re-election campaign.
But the transition to running City Club, a non-partisan civic organization best known for its Friday forums at the Sentinel Hotel, was choppy.
*Earlier this year, Marshall's club invited Kitzhaber to take part in a public panel, even though Kitzhaber was under federal investgation.
* City Club was forced to send out an apology to all members when one or more members shared the club's membership list with campaigns seeking to influence voter on ballot measures.
*In a departure from its normal practice, City Club did not hold a Friday Forum debate between incumbent City Commissioner Steve Novick and challenger Chloe Eudaly this fall. Novick is a longtime City Club member, while Eudaly is an upstart outsider who stood to benefit from the debate far more than Novick did.
City Club officials praised Marshall today.
"Mike was instrumental in helping City Club evolve into a more relevant and influential organization," City Club President Kourtney Nelson said in a statement. "We will miss his commitment to our Club's mission and core values but we are confident that our staff will continue to build on his success during this transition period."
Marshall says recent events had nothing to do with his decision to move on.
"My partner Rob and I are looking to make some quality of life changes and this is the first step in that direction," Marshall said in an email.
Willamette Week