Former Lincoln County administrator Tim Johnson is trading ocean waves for vineyards and orchards.
Johnson was appointed last week as the interim city manager of Milton-Freewater, a northeast Oregon city of 6,500 eight miles south of Walla Walla, Wash. It was once known as the pea growing capital of the world but now turning to vineyards and orchards.
Johnson is expected to serve for six months while the city council looks for a new manager, according to the city of Milton-Freewater.
Johnson’s appointment follows the Oct. 14 termination of city manager Chad Morris, who came from Florida 17 months earlier after a nationwide search.
Johnson was hired as Lincoln County’s first administrator in April 2022 after commissioners decided they needed someone to focus solely on directing department heads and overseeing its budget. He resigned in February after apparent dissatisfaction by commissioners with his work.
Johnson came to Lincoln County from Federal Way, Wash. where he had been its economic development officer for eight years.
