MIDLAND, Texas — Midland City Council has confirmed Tommy Gonzalez will be the new city manager for the city of Midland.
He was unanimously voted in by the city council, who pushed the agenda item to the beginning of the meeting to allow the public to speak.
Citizens asked councilmembers plenty of questions, mostly about his past experiences as city manager in Irving and El Paso.
They also asked why Gonzalez and other finalists for the job weren't brought up to the public to speak in person.
“He should be here today, or in a town hall before the vote, not after, before the vote," said Eliel Rosa, who spoke at the meeting. "He should be here, and talk to people and then, may the majority win. After the people know him, and after the community is open and has the opportunity to engage with him, and to bring the issues to his attention.”
Others within city council had heard of the allegations and concerns over Gonzalez's past, but said that he was able to address those in private during the interviewing process and in sperate meetings.
“When I found that he was a finalist, I did have concerns, and I've listened to a lot of my constituents and Midlanders that have the same concerns," said District Four City Councilwoman Amy Stretcher Burkes. "But I was able to speak with him at great lengths, and he was able to make me feel comfortable about things. I've done my own research, and I think he's gonna do a good job leading us.”
The council said they did their due diligence on Gonzalez and vetted any accusations and concerns that followed him. After this process, they had the confidence to move forward with him.
“Any time we make a high profile hire, there's a risk to that," said Midland Mayor Lori Blong. "So we've taken a risk, but we believe that he is a good candidate to lead Midland forward.”
The council believes that, when Gonzalez gets to Midland, his experience and hard work will speak for itself and allow him to build a healthy relationship with Midlanders.
“We're getting a number one draft pick in Midland, Texas," said District Three City Councilman Jack Ladd. "This guy has been a city manager in cities six or seven times the size of Midland, so he's going to bring in perspective that we've never had before.”
Gonzalez and the city negotiated a four-year term, but are limiting the amount of potential severance he would receive if he leaves. This was advice given to Mayor Blong and her negotiation team based on community and advisor feedback.
“In negotiating our contract with Mr. Gonzalez, we were very careful to have a four-year contract to demonstrate his commitment to Midland, but then we limited any potential severance," said Blong. "If he were to be asked to leave without cause, then we would limit that severance to 12 months of severance. If he were to be asked to leave for cause, then that would be limited to six months severance.”
Gonzalez is set to begin his new role by the end of July.