ODESSA, Texas — The City of Odessa announced on Monday that it had named John Beckmeyer as the lone finalist for it’s city manager position.
Following the firing of former city manager Michael Marrero in December, the unanimous decision by the city council concludes the search process.
Beckmeyer has a wide range of life experience, from running IT companies, to becoming an influential voice at the state’s capital. Odessa Mayor Javier Joven spoke Wednesday about what Beckmeyer brings to the position.
“Meeting and doing the interview, there was another transcendent person that came off the page that was very personable, [had] integrity, [and had] vision," said Joven.
Having one vision for Odessa and being able to propel that forward was a key element.
“It wasn’t just simply a changing of management, it’s also a restart and a changing of culture," said Joven. "[I'm] very excited about that and being able to push forward the City of Odessa as a whole, especially the organization.”
Beckmeyer’s experience has him in a position to help lead Odessa.
“Life experiences, education and to be able to communicate from top-to-bottom — from one sphere of what we see in the community, from blue collar to the white collar, for the developers and those that are invested — and all the entities," said Joven. "We have to have a person that can build relationships, can work, can find middle grounds and to have an ability to [negotiate].”
Beckmeyer's influence in Texas and Washington looks to take Odessa to another level.
“He knows how the game is played, he knows the inside, he knows the people who are decision makers for the things that we need, from infrastructure, to roads, to reinvestment, and that’s something that we desperately need to be able to put Odessa in a different position to compete among municipalities that have advantages of size and geographical locations," said Joven.
The mayor mentioned that Beckmeyer has spent time in Odessa running a couple of IT companies based in the city. He also noted that while Beckmeyer is well-known in some circles in Odessa, they will make opportunities for the community to meet him once they are able to officially make him the new city manager.