More than a year after City Council fired former City Manager Spencer Cronk and hired Jesús Garza to do the job on an interim basis, the search for a permanent manager is coming to a close.
Selecting the city manager is perhaps the single most important duty our elected Council members have, as is the case in any city operating under a Council-manager form of government. Under this structure, Council sets policy and passes ordinances, but it is the manager – who is hired by Council to oversee the city’s thousands of employees and multibillion-dollar budget – who is tasked with implementing that policy and honoring ordinances. Working with two city managers so far, this City Council has learned that the person sitting in the manager’s chair can have a huge impact on how policy goals are achieved or left to wither. They went from Cronk, who was an indecisive and hands-off leader, to Garza, who has acted swiftly and decisively, sometimes without Council input.
Selecting the city manager is perhaps the single most important duty our elected Council members have, as is the case in any city operating under a Council-manager form of government.
This Council has shown deference to the interim manager and, at times, has seemingly operated out of fear, worrying that pushing too hard for transparency and accountability could scare off quality applicants for the permanent job. But now the search is done and Council members will decide between two candidates. One is outgoing Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax, who was reportedly pushed to resign by Dallas City Council members over growing tensions with the city’s Democrat-turned-Republican mayor, Eric Johnson. The other is Sara Hensley, city manager in Denton – which has a population about one-tenth the size of Austin’s – who previously served here as the director of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department and as an interim assistant city manager. Brian Platt, the city manager of Kansas City, Mo., was announced alongside Broadnax and Hensley as a third finalist for the job on March 5, but he has since removed himself from consideration for the position so that he can pursue a new contract with his current employer.
Broadnax and Hensley will take the stage at a forum held by the city next Monday, March 25, to address the public and answer questions about how they would approach the job. The next day, the two finalists will participate in a closed-door interview with Council members. Mayor Kirk Watson hopes Council can take a vote directing staff to negotiate a contract with the body’s preferred candidate at Council’s April 4 meeting.
The public forum will be held March 25 from 6-7:30pm at the city’s Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr. The forum will also be streamed live on ATXN.
This article appears in March 22 • 2024.