Four Candidates selected for interviews of vacant Eagle Pass City Manager position

By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2016

The City of Eagle Pass, Texas City Council approved interviewing four candidates for the current vacant City Manager position at its Special Meeting held on Tuesday, September 13, 2016, in Eagle Pass.

After a lengthy Executive Session discussion, the Eagle Pass City Council led by Mayor Ramsey English Cantu announced that four candidates will be invited for interviews for the vacant City Manager position as part of the second round of candidate evaluations, including Judy Davila, Anthony Carson, Otis Jones, and George H. Rodriguez.

Former City Manager Hector Chavez, Sr. resigned on April 15, 2016 after being indicted by a federal grand jury in Del Rio, Texas on four counts, including paying a $20,000 bribe to a Maverick County Commissioner to ensure awarding of a public contract for $270,000 from the Maverick County Solid Waste Authority for his private business, forging a contract to hide the bribe paid to the County Commissioner, obstruction of justice by providing a falsified contract in response to a federal subpoena, and lying to a federal law enforcement agent investigating him and the Maverick County Solid Waste Authority. Chavez remains detained awaiting trial in Del Rio, Texas.  If convicted, Chavez faces up to 20 years in federal prison.  Chavez maintains his innocence and is seeking a jury trial in October 2016.

On April 25, 2016, the Eagle Pass City Council appointed former Eagle Pass City Manager and Eagle Pass Water Works and Sewer System General Manager Roberto Gonzalez as Interim City Manager until a permanent City Manager is appointed by the Council.  Gonzalez has led the City Administration since April 25th through a very difficult period and the annual budget approval process.

Earlier this year, the City Council interviewed six candidates for City Manager during July 12-14, 2016, including Jesus “Chuy” Sanchez, Rudolph “Rudy” Bowles, Jr., Manuel De La Rosa, Monica Martinez, William Arthur Di Libero, and Juan Francisco Zuniga.

The City of Eagle Pass until recently was still advertising for the vacant City Manager in local, state, and national publications.