Meet, greet

City manager finalists to be in town Friday


Buckert

Buckert

The two finalists for the job of Port Aransas city manager are scheduled to appear in town for a public meet-andgreet event Friday, Jan. 18.

The mixer will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Community Center, 430 N. Alister St.

The finalists are Amy Buckert, city administrator of Balcones Heights; and Paul Hofmann, city administrator of Castroville.

The mixer will be an opportunity for council members, city board members, department heads, the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce board of directors and other community leaders and stakeholders to meet Buckert and Hofmann.

Council members will meet privately, one-on-one, with the two finalists before the mixer, to evaluate them, McMullin said.

A city hall search committee has chosen the finalists for the city manager post, but the search could expand again later, depending on how council members feel after learning more about the current finalists, according to Mayor Keith McMullin.

Hofmann

Hofmann

Both Buckert and Hofmann are San Antonio area residents who say they long have visited Port Aransas and hold an abiding love for the community.

Buckert, who will be 36 next month, grew up in Boerne. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio and a master’s degree in public administration at UT-Arlington.

Buckert started her municipal career in June 2001 as a management intern with the City of Hurst. After that, she worked as an administrative analyst with the City of Lewisville, senior management assistant in Hurst, assistant to the city manager in Hurst and city manager of Olmos Park before being hired to her current post in November 2010.

At Balcones Heights, a city of 2,817, she supervises 53 employees in a municipal government with a $7.6 million budget.

Asked why she applied for the job of city manager in Port Aransas, Buckert said, “I’ve been coming to Port Aransas since I was a toddler. We go several times every year for vacations, still. I just love it. You guys have a lot of growth going on right now. I’ve been watching it change over the years. It’s just really exciting, and I love the town.”

Buckert said she would bring “a good teamwork, inclusive kind of management style” to Port Aransas city government. “I have some economic development experience with building and growth. … And I think I have a lot of energy and a go-getter attitude and can get done whatever the council and community needs to be done.”

Buckert said she has experience in dealing with diverse community needs and desires.

“We have a faction here – a lot of people who don’t want much change,” she said. “They want things to stay the same. Another group feels we need to kick things up into gear and restart. I feel I’ve got good interpersonal skills and the ability to bring compromise and cohesion to communities like this.”

Buckert is married to Terry Nolan, a public works superintendent with the City of Boerne, and they have a son who will be 3 years old in February.

Like Buckert, Hofmann said he is excited about being a finalist. And, like Buckert, he said he is seeking the city manager post because he likes Port Aransas so much.

“It’s been a favorite spot to visit for vacations and long weekends for as long as I can remember,” said Hofmann, 53. “My kids are all out of the house now, and my wife and I are empty nesters and have been thinking for the past couple of years about where our next and, hopefully, final spot will be. So, I was excited to see the Port Aransas vacancy.”

Hofmann’s wife, Barbara Hofmann, is director of external affairs for an electrical cooperative. They have three sons who are 19, 22 and 25 years old.

Hofmann said Port Aransas would benefit from his 30 years of experience of working in city government.

“I feel like there’s not a lot I haven’t seen or experienced from a city management perspective,” he said. “I feel like I have a broad and solid background in all aspects of municipal management – public works, utilities, airport operations, parks and recreation and financial management. … I think I have particular skills at helping city councils think long term and strategically and think affordability and efficiency.”

Hofmann grew up in Karnes City and got a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration, both at Texas A&M University at College Station.

He got started in municipal government as an administrative assistant in the Austin city manager’s office in 1983. He went on to work in that city’s public works department as a manager in various capacities, including finance.

After his time in Austin, Hofmann was city manager in Alvin from 1998 to 2001 and went on to serve as assistant city manager in Sugar Land and city manager of Kerrville. He later worked as a consultant and has been city manager in Castroville since 2010.

Castroville, population 3,000, has a municipal workforce of about 40 employees and a budget of approximately $9 million.

Port Aransas is looking to replace Robert Bradshaw, who left the city manager’s position Oct. 19 to take a job as city manager in Fort Pierce, Fla. Deputy City Manager Dave Parsons has been appointed interim city manager. He said he hasn’t applied to take on the post permanently.

A council-appointed committee has sifted through several dozen applications to narrow the city’s search down to Buckert and Hofmann.

If council members end up wanting to offer the job to one of the two candidates, the council will discuss the matter at a special meeting, tentatively scheduled for Monday, Jan. 21, and possibly vote to enter negotiations with the candidate, McMullin said.


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