The City Council voted 5-0 Wednesday to appoint Assistant City Manager Laura Sanders as interim city manager following the resignation of City Manager Mike Bailey last week.
The Council discussed the appointment in an executive session held during a special meeting on Wednesday.
Executive sessions, which are closed to the public, are permitted under Oklahoma law and are standard practice for municipalities and other government agencies when discussing personnel issues. No action may be taken during an executive session. In accordance with Oklahoma law, the Council returned to the public meeting following their discussion and voted at that time in favor of the appointment.
Sanders began her employment with the City of Bartlesville in 2015 as a human resources manager and was promoted to human resources director in 2019. She was named assistant city manager in 2024.
Prior to beginning her career with the City of Bartlesville, she served as the senior human resources manager for Mercy Hospital in Independence, Kan. She holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in organizational management and leadership, and is a member of the City Managers Association of Oklahoma and Women in Municipal Government. She currently serves on the Bartlesville Regional United Way board and several other City-related committees.
“I think our (unanimous) vote affirms that we’ve got the right person for the job,” Mayor Jim Curd said following the decision.
Next steps
The Council also discussed potential steps for hiring the next city manager. Following a discussion, the Council directed Sanders to submit a job description for the position to Council members this week so that updates can be considered.
The Councilors also appeared unanimous in favoring an internal search before considering external candidates.
“We’ve got six or more directors who have been here 20 years,” said Vice Mayor Trevor Dorsey. “I would think — and hope — there will be some internal people who want to look at this opportunity.”
Sanders commended City department directors and other City staff for stepping up during the transition.
“I’ve got to give a shout-out to our team — they do not miss a beat,” she told the Council. “This is a well-oiled machine, and we’ve got some great people. I take my hat off to them.”
Curd echoed the sentiment.
“(This is) an unfortunate situation, but it’s at a time when we do have a great team assembled,” he said. “They work hard every day for the citizens of Bartlesville — to protect us, to furnish services, to bring water to us, to fix the potholes and to pave the streets. They’re a great crew. I know everybody is going to keep their nose down and get the work done every day, and we’ll move on from here.”
It is expected the final job description and whether the position will be posted internally/externally will be considered by the Council during their September meeting. Due to the Labor Day holiday, the September meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 8, instead of the usual first Monday of the month. Agendas and related materials are posted on the City website prior to the meeting.