City officials on Monday confirmed Nena Cook as Vancouver’s next city attorney.
Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle swore Cook into the role in an interim capacity in January, after previous City Attorney Jonathan Young resigned to become the city manager in the city of SeaTeac.
Vancouver City Manager Lon Pluckhahn wrote in a memo to the city council that he didn’t think any outside hire could know Vancouver’s municipal code and the city’s legal team better than Cook.
“Nena has consistently demonstrated during her tenure with the city a strong work ethic, an ability to quickly analyze complex situations, an adeptness at delivering news people may not want to hear and an ability to manage difficult conversations well,” Pluckhahn wrote. “Based on these factors, I concluded that Vancouver would not be well served by doing a recruitment for the position when a capable and ready candidate is already with the city.”
Cook has worked for the city since June 2021, after, Pluckhahn said, she had an accomplished law career in Oregon. She was previously the president of the Oregon Bar Association. She earned her law degree from Willamette University and undergraduate degree from Gonzaga University.
The city council’s vote on her confirmation Monday was unanimous.
