The City of North Bend is extending an invitation to the public for a chance to personally interact with the prospective candidates for the role of Chief of Police, a signal of impending changes in local law enforcement structure. The scheduled meet-and-greet, slated for Monday, November 17, from 6 – 8 p.m. will be hosted at North Bend City Hall, located at 920 SE Cedar Falls Way. This comes ahead of a planned collaboration with the King County Sheriff's Office scheduled to commence in spring 2026.
Attending community members will have the rare occasion to directly engage with the finalists, pose questions, and deliver their impressions, a component the city endorses as part of their inclusive hiring process. The following day adds a layer of evaluation: on Tuesday, November 18, finalists are set to partake in final interviews with panels composed of city councilmembers, city staff, and community representatives, as described in a recent city announcement.
Mayor Miller, alongside City Administrator Amber Emery, will consequently review panel feedback following the interviews. Deliberations with panel facilitators will ensue to single out a preferred candidate for an office that is both high-profile and critical to local governance. Officials anticipate that the decisive selection for this pivotal post will be finalized early December.
