Port Aransas South Jetty

Search zeroes in on finalists

A search committee is scheduled to meet today, Thursday, Feb. 18, to select the committee’s favorite seven or eight candidates who have applied to be the next city manager of Port Aransas.

Some 114 people had applied for the city manager position by the applications deadline at the end of January, said Pat Garrett, who is executive assistant to the city manager and a member of the search committee.

“There are some good ones in there,” said Interim City Manager Dave Parsons, who also is a committee member. “However, there are very few of the good ones that have coastal, hurricane and tourism experience. That’s where it starts to get thin. … At that point, you’re talking a handful.”

Other members of the committee are Finance Director Darla Honea, City Secretary Esther Arzola and Parks and Recreation Department Director Gary Mysorski.

Michael Kovacs resigned last year as Port Aransas city manager to take a position as assistant city manager in Park City, Utah. His last day on the job in Port Aransas was Dec. 4.

Mayor Pro Tem Keith McMullin is the city council-appointed representative assisting in the search for a new city manager. He said he agrees with Parsons that some good candidates have applied. McMullin has examined the applicants’ resumes and narrowed his personal list of favorites down to nine people who “on paper look really strong,” he said.

“In particular, there were some folks from some Florida communities that have some coastal experience, and that’s really appealing from the standpoint of emergency preparedness for storms,” McMullin said.

Candidates have applied from “all over the country,” McMullin said. Some have applied from Texas cities “that were pretty large in size,” he said.

“I think, based on their tenures in some of these communities, and the fact some are pretty good-size cities, I’m hopeful we’ll find a candidate,” McMullin said.

When committee members meet today, each will present his or her list of favorite 10 candidates. After comparing notes, the group will produce a single list of top candidates – probably seven or eight of them, Parsons said.

The committee then will do background checks and brief phone interviews and whittle the list down to a top five.

Next, the committee will conduct in-person interviews with the top five candidates, probably during the first three weeks of March, Parsons said. That process will winnow the list to three candidates. After that, the city will hold an event at which the public may meet the top three candidates in a social setting, Parsons said. No date or location has been set yet for such an event.

The city council will make the final decision on whom to hire. The goal, Parsons said, is to have an offer made to the top candidate by early April. If that happens, Port Aransas could have a new city manager in office by early May.