April 2021
2021 TCMA Elections
Management Transitions
2021 TCMA Service Awards
TCMA Annual Conference
New Members
New Member Applications
Sympathy
TCMA Goes Social
Austin Form of Government Election Update
Ethics Corner
TCMA Educational Events
Memos on Meetings
2021 Tcma elections
The TCMA Board would like to thank the membership for participating in the statewide election. The membership elected Opal Mauldin-Jones, city manager of the City of Lancaster, as the 2021-2022 vice president and Emily Crawford, city manager of the City of Brownwood, as the 2021-2023 director-at-large. The office of president-elect was uncontested, and Jay Stokes, city manager of the City of Deer Park, will serve.
Congratulations to the elected officers and the full 2021-2022 TCMA Executive Committee.
2021-2022 TCMA Executive Committee
The proposed TCMA Constitution change was approved by the membership. For an updated version, please click here. The approved changes are below:
Article V. Membership
E. Special Member. A Special Member shall meet one of the following qualifications:
Life Member. Any person who is chosen to become a Life Member of the Association because of distinguished public service to local government. They shall hold no office, and no person who is
eligible for Full or Associate Membership in the Association shall be chosen as a Life Member at the same time. Life members have application endorsement, petition, and voting privileges. Prospective Life Members shall be approved by the Board of Directors.
(2) Membership: Must have been a Full or Associate Member eligible to hold an overall management position in a Texas city/COG for a minimum of twenty (20) years regardless of age at retirement and/or been actively involved in TCMA, another state’s city management association, or local government prior to retirement throughout his/her career.
MANAGEMENT TRANSITIONS
Michael Boese is no longer the city manager of the City of Keene. He is serving as the new city administrator of the City of Wimberley.
John Cabrales is no longer the city manager of the City of Lake Dallas.
Crystal Caldera is serving as the acting city manager of the City of Leon Valley.
Ronald Duncan will retire as the city manager of the City of Eastland, effective April 30. John Oznick will serve as the new city manager.
Chris Hill is no longer the city administrator of the City of Rogers. Sabra Davis is serving as the interim city administrator.
Sean Hutchison is no longer the city administrator of the City of Jamaica Beach.
Brad Heiman is serving as the interim city administrator.
Roger Nelson is no longer the city administrator of the City of Piney Point Village.
Paul Davis is serving as the interim city administrator.
Brenda Shaw retired as the city manager of the City of Morton. Veronica Olguin is serving as interim city manager.
Eric Stevens, will no longer be the city administrator of the City of Lakeside City, effective April 20.
Jody Weaver is serving as the interim city manager of the City of Port Lavaca.
2021 tcma service awards
TCMA annually recognizes members who have reached service milestones. The service awards honor TCMA members who have been Full or Associate members in full-time service as an appointed employee of a local government entity for a minimum of 20 years. Although TCMA and ICMA are similar organizations, the criteria for service awards are not identical. TCMA service years are determined by number of years as a TCMA Full or Associate member rather than number of membership years and are current with their membership dues.
Listed below are the names of those individuals identified as meeting the criteria necessary to receive TCMA service awards. Please review this list and contact Kim Pendergraft at kim@tml.org or 512-231-7400 by April 15 if you can offer any corrections. These individuals will be recognized at the TCMA Annual Conference Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 11.
Life Membership
(As of July 1, 2020, the following members have been reviewed by the Board and approved per the TCMA Constitution Article V, Section E.)
Clayton Chandler
Nick Finan
Kevin Hugman
Collette Jamison
Dion Miller
Courtney Sharp (a special presentation will be made to his family)
Bill Yenne
35 Years
Robert Herrera, City Manager, Cibolo
Kelvin Knauf, Director of Planning and Community, Orange
David Landis, City Manager, Perryton
Tommy Phillips, City Manager, Seminole
25 Years
Donna Barron, City Manager, Lewisville
Chad Nehring, City Manager, Center
Jimmy Stathatos, City Manager, Bedford
20 Years
Robert Hanna, City Manager, Abilene
Harlan Jefferson, City Manager, Prosper
Craig Lemin, City Manager, Robinson
Howdy Lisenbee, City Manager, Commerce
Joseph Shephard, City Manager, Howe
Sean Pate, City Manager, Bonham
Stephanie Reyes, Assistant City Manager, San Marcos
tcma annual conference
Registration and housing are now open for the 2021 TCMA Annual Conference.
Apply for a TCMA Annual Conference Scholarship.
The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. on April 12.
Scholarship information is available at Annual Conference Scholarship.
New Members
The TCMA Management Messenger welcomes the following new members approved by the Executive Committee on March 24, 2021.
Full: Brian Barboza, City Administrator, Silverton; James King, Assistant City Manager, Coleman; Ana Mercado, City Manager, Sullivan City; Steve Norwood, Town Manager, Trophy Club; Amy Wallace, City Administrator, Crosbyton
Associate: Stephanie Doland, Director of Development Services, Brenham;
Anthony Van Cao, Assistant to the City Manager, Irving; Danny Zincke, Director of Community Services, Boerne
Cooperating: Joe Gershtenson, Associate Professor, St. Mary's University
Student: Savannah Fortenberry, Sam Houston State University; Natalija Gajic, University of North Texas; Ruben Martinez, Texas A&M University-Kingsville;
Margarita Muniz, Texas State University; Antonia Taylor, The University of Texas at San Antonio; Students from Texas A&M University include: Claude Christensen, Miranda Estrada, Julia Herrera, Vanessa Lewis, Esmeralda Mata
New Member Applications
The current TCMA Board policy requires that names of new member applicants be published each month in the Management Messenger. Any written objection during the subsequent 30-day period will be reviewed by the Membership Committee. If no objections are received during this time, the names will be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval. Written objections can be mailed to TCMA, Attention: Membership Committee, 1821 Rutherford Lane, Suite 400, Austin, TX 78754. Applications received in the month of March:
Full: Neil Cardwell, Deputy City Manager, Forney; Mike Etienne, Assistant City Manager, Victoria; Paula Favors, Assistant City Manager, Wharton; Sterling Naron,
City Administrator, Hudson Oaks; John Oznick Jr., City Manager, Eastland; Daniel Pennington, Chief of Staff, Pasadena
Associate: Megan Folkerts, Senior Management Analyst, Kerrville; Kate Garcia, Executive Assistant to the City Manager, Victoria; Kate Graham, Assistant to the Town Manager, Little Elm; Hayden Migl, Assistant to the City Manager, San Marcos;
Alex Morgan, Interim Special Projects Manager, San Antonio; Billy Owens, Assistant to the City Manager, North Richland Hills; Rhiannon Pape, Research & Development Specialist, San Antonio; Anthony Spanel, Environmental Director, Amarillo;
William Thompson, Assistant to the City Manager, West University Place;
Stacey Ybarra, Assistant to the City Manager, Round Rock
Cooperating: Kril Cunningham, Sr. Vice President-Public Sector, Lockton Dunning Benefits; Joe Farias, Senior Project Manager, GarzaEMC; Alan Fourmentin, General Manager, Trophy Club Municipal Utility District No. 1; Marissa Garza, Business Development Associate, GarzaEMC; Darren Huckert, Vice President, GarzaEMC;
Brett Larson, Vice President, GarzaEMC; Jonathan McKee, Vice President, GarzaEMC; Julia Mrnak, Vice President, GarzaEMC; John Pelham, Senior Vice President, GarzaEMC; Chris Randazzo, Senior Vice President, GarzaEMC
sympathy
TCMA is saddened to announce the loss of three public servants. Please take time to remember these individuals and their families.Paul Frederiksen served as the assistant city manager and most recently as the interim city manager of the City of Duncanville. Paul passes on Friday, March 12.
A service in his honor was held on March 19 at Northwood Church in Keller.
Please keep his wife Jackie and family in your thoughts and prayers.
Robert Hauck served as the city manager of the City of Tomball. Robert passed on Saturday, March 13. Robert previously served as the City of Tomball assistant city manager and chief of police.
A celebration of life was held on March 19 at Tomball High School Stadium in Tomball.
Please keep his wife Kathleen and their three children, Lauren, Conner, and Madeline in your thoughts and prayers.
Jeff Straub served as the city administrator of the City of Troy. Jeff passed on March 6. Jeff had also served as police chief, assistant city manager, and interim city manager of the City of Taylor.
A memorial service celebrating his life was held on March 20 at First Baptist Church in Temple.
Please keep his fiancé, Donna Buck, and two children, Rachel and Jared in your thoughts and prayers.
tcma goes social
TCMA has expanded its presence on social media platforms and wants to hear from you. What makes you passionate about service in local government? What projects are you excited about and want share? How is your city assisting with COVID-19 immunizations? Stories like these illustrate the impact of professionally managed cities and encourage the next generation of local government professionals. TCMA wants to highlight your story by dedicating each day from a variety of perspectives including:
#ManagerMonday (City Managers or Administrators)
#NumberTwoTuesday (Assistant City Managers or Administrators)
#StudentWednesday (Student Members)
#UpAndComerThursday (Associate Members)
#FlashbackFriday (Retired TCMA Members)
To submit your information, click Let’s Get Social.
If you have questions, please contact Stacey Osborne at tcmadigital@gmail.com.
austin form of government election update
With early voting starting soon, the challenge to the City of Austin form of government is gaining positive momentum. With the addition of two political action committees as well as a strong volunteer alliance, the message about the benefits of the council-manager form of government is being told to neighborhoods associations, civic groups, and professional associations through virtual meetings. This effort is picking up endorsements to oppose the strong mayor proposition from the real estate council, consolidated labor unions, several chambers, and neighborhood groups. More information can be found at www.austinforallpeople.org or by contacting Karen Daly at kdaly@icma.org.
Ethics Corner
Tenet 1. We believe professional management is essential to efficient and democratic local government by elected officials.
Beginning in the early 1900s, municipal reformers sought to improve the effectiveness of government at the local level. Eager to rid municipalities of the political machines and spoils systems of the day, early leaders took what were then likely considered drastic measures to establish a better way to provide local government. Since the establishment of the council-manager form of government, professional and politically impartial management has been a keystone to providing efficient and democratic local government by elected officials.
In a recent ICMA article, former city manager Jerry Newfarmer said, “The professional city manager, steeped in and committed to the ICMA Code of Ethics, is the foundation of good government.” Mr. Newfarmer continues, “Indeed, there is evidence to support the assertion that the council-manager form of government promotes ethical behavior, which was a goal of Richard Childs when he originated the idea of the council-manager plan in the Progressive Era more than a century ago.” Mr. Newfarmer quotes a 2019 study that found that corruption was 57 percent less likely in the council-manager form of government than in the mayor-council form, where decision-making is driven by political considerations.
It is evident today that trust in many institutions is waning. At a time when society is desperately looking for good people to stand as beacons of decency, competence, and civility, professional local government managers have a unique opportunity to model behavior and act courageously to do things that build and strengthen the trust that communities have in local governance. The council-manager form of government is strong and will remain so as long as professional managers remain “committed to leadership based on good management principles and ethical behavior.” (Newfarmer, 2021)
Professional management is essential to efficient and democratic local government by elected officials. A commitment to this belief will bear the fruits of trust that will assist in making the promise of effective local government a reality.
Works Cited
Newfarmer, J. (2021, March1). Retrieved from https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/promoting-ethical-local-government
(Article submitted by Wes Pierson, City Manager, Town of Addison)
TCMA EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
TCG/TCMA Getting the Most Out of Your Employment Agreement
April 2, 2021
Webinar
City Management Clinic (Sold Out)
April 22-23, 2021
Granbury
TCMA Annual Conference
June 10-13, 2021
Round Rock
#ELGL Inspire: TCMA-ELGL Joint Events
April 23, 2021 (virtual)
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
September 14, 2021 (virtual)
Texas State University
Tex-ICMA Coaching Webinars
(Pre-registration is required)
Best Practices to Manage Public Spaces
12:30-2:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 21
Leading From the Middle
12:30-2:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 19
Leading Your Community in an Era of Anxiety
12:30-2:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 15
The Future of Work
12:30-2:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 20
Growing Your Career
12:30-2:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 17
Memos on Meetings
The Public Policy Task Force meets every Thursday via video conference.
The Nominating Committee met on March 3 and March 24 via video conference.
The Allies Across Texas Task Force met on March 31 via video conference.
The Membership Committee will meet on April 15-16 via video conference.