Corum Ketchum has been hired to fill the newly created position of community development director for John Day.

JOHN DAY — The search for a successor to John Day City Manager Nick Green is over, at least for now.

Community Development Director Corum Ketchum was appointed interim city manager during the May 10 City Council session. The appointment is for a six-month trial period, after which the city can either hire Ketchum into the position permanently or fall back on its earlier plan to have Washington-based CMP Consultants search for qualified candidates. The council approved the appointment in a unanimous vote.

Ketchum would resume his role as community development director if the city decides to find another candidate for the city manager position following the trial period. During that six-month period, Ketchum will work both as the city manager and as community development director until the city fills Ketchum’s old post via contract.

“I’ll be wearing a couple different hats for a while,” Ketchum said.

The move was a potential cost-saving measure as well as a necessity. Appointing Ketchum saves the city $25,000 that would’ve gone to CMP Consultants for their efforts in searching for qualified candidates to fill the vacancy. The city also needs a city manager in place to shepherd projects that are just starting to get off the ground.

The hire wasn’t without concerns, however. Ketchum is just out of college, and the community development director job was his first post following the completion of his studies. Ketchum doesn’t have experience being a manager, and he’s only been in his current role since early March.

Those concerns are all things Green says can be mitigated through mentorship and the support of veteran city agency staff. Green, who will be stepping down by the end of next month, has agreed to mentor Ketchum and help him settle into the role of city manager.

Being a city manager was always a goal for Ketchum.

“I just didn’t think it would happen this fast,” he said.

Ketchum also admits that he has some learning to do but adds that Green is doing a good job of mentoring him as he takes on the responsibility of city manager.