Skip to main contentMetro President Lynn Peterson could leave her elected position leading the regional government to take a job as Lake Oswego city manager as early as next week.
Joe Buck, the mayor of Lake Oswego, announced during a Tuesday night City Council meeting that he was nominating Peterson to serve as the pro tempore city manager. If the City Council confirms Peterson’s nomination next week, Peterson would be leaving her elected position atop Metro nine months before her term is over.
Metro spokesman Nick Christensen said in a Tuesday evening statement that, if her selection is approved, Peterson would resign from Metro effective March 13.
Peterson appeared at the Lake Oswego City Council meeting to accept consideration. “I’m honored to be considered as pro term,” she said. “My intent is to put my name in for the city manager position past this fall.”
Buck said he and Peterson had been discussing her nomination for some time. “Lynn is no stranger to Lake Oswego,” he said. “She only agreed to be considered because of how much she cares about this city.”
Peterson is currently serving her second term as Metro President. She first won election in 2019 and then again in 2023. Metro has a two-term limit for president, meaning Peterson cannot run for a third term.
If she takes the Lake Oswego job—Peterson lives in Lake Oswego—she would not be the first Metro President to abandon their elected seat early to find a soft landing spot. In 2010, then-Metro President David Bragdon left his position three months before his term ended to take a job with then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Should Peterson take the gig, Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang, who currently serves as Metro Deputy President, would step in as interim president. The Metro Council then has 90 days to appoint a new president.
By that time, the 2026 primary will have taken place for the seat, and it’s widely projected that Councilor Juan Carlos González will win the position, given that he’s by far the most serious contender in the race.
Those familiar with the situation say it’s likely that the council would appoint González to the president’s position if he wins in the primary.
