MIDLAND, Texas — The City of Midland is currently searching for a new city manager, and it is looking for community help in the process. Conversations started back in January to fill the position permanently, with the process really beginning in late March.
With help from Baker Tilly US, LLP, the city is about halfway through its projected timeline. Midland Mayor Lori Blong said they have reached a critical step in seeking public input, as whoever fills the position will have an impact on the community.
“The mayor and city council work daily with the city manager," said Blong. "And so it’s really important that we get the right person in there as it relates to the mayor and city council, but it’s also important for every citizen of our community. Residents here need to know that we have a city manager who’s competent, who’s able to lead well and able to lead this large organization into the future.”
Baker Tilly US, LLP, has already interviewed city council members for input, and with public feedback now being collected as well, their process is important to the city.
“It really legitimizes an internal candidate," said Blong. "If they are chosen, they were chosen against a bunch of their peers across the state or the nation. But if we choose an external candidate, then it also legitimizes that because we’ve gone through the process, we’ve tried to normalize all of the variables to say ‘who is the right person to come into the City of Midland, to be our city manager and to lead us well?’"
The city manager position for Midland carries a lot of responsibility.
“The city manager of Midland is actually managing several hundred-million dollars in expenditures annually, and over a thousand employees at any given time, and so it’s a really big task," said Blong. "We need a person with strong leadership skills, a person who is able to build a team around themselves to execute well and lead our community well.”
Mayor Blong called the city manager the Chief Executive Officer of the city. Someone with experience that is both lengthy and connected to a public environment is wanted to create quality communication.
“They are managing in between that political level of elected leadership, but then all of the directors who are actually carrying out the functions of our city," said Blong. "And so we feel like it’s really important that we have good rapport with the city council and mayor, but then also the ability to lead downline of over a thousand employees."
The mayor noted that there are still several steps before an offer will be extended in late June or early July to the new city manager.
She also mentioned that they have not received a lot of responses on the public survey. To have your voice heard and help the search process, you can find that survey by clicking or tapping here. The survey is open through Sunday, June 4.