Former SeaTac City Manager Craig Ward is one of five finalists for the city manager position in Oregon City, Oregon.

Oregon City is just south of Portland and is the county seat of Clackamas County. Its population is estimated at almost 30,000 residents.

Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated.

Ward was removed as city manager and suspended from his duties by the SeaTac City Council on Oct. 22.

Ward and city staffers had come unde fire for cost overruns on fire station construction, a critical state auditor's report, a controversial tree retention ordinance and the condemnation of a private parking lot that was later rescinded.

He was removed just before the November general election. On the ballot was a proposition that would have eliminated the city manager position and replaced it with an elected mayor. The measure lost by 9 votes.

Ward started in SeaTac as the city's principal planner and became assistant city manager before being promoted to city manager.

Todd Cutts was appointed interim city manager after Ward's suspension.

Ward is competing against finalists from Renton, Monroe, Gig Harbor and Grants Pass, Oregon for the Oregon City post.

Current City Manager Larry Patterson is retiring at the end of this month.