20 Months Later, Eagle Pass City Council Interviews Eight Candidates for City Manager Position
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2024
The City of Eagle Pass, Texas City Council finally interviewed eight candidates for the vacant City Manager position during two special meetings held on Thursday, February 1, 2024, and Friday, February 2, 2024, after 20 months since former City Manager George Antuna abruptly resigned on August 9, 2022 after an Executive Session concerning his evaluation.
Assistant City Manager Ivan Morua was appointed by the City Council on August 9, 2022 to serve as Acting City Manager following the resignation of Antuna, which he still holds as of press time. Morua is in his second stint as Acting City Manager since he served in the same capacity during January 2, 2018 to March 4, 2019 following the resignation of previous City Manager Arturo B. Rodriguez, who served 14 months as City Manager. In total, Morua has served 35 months as Acting City Manager during the past six years.
Of the original 12 candidates selected on December , 2023 to be interviewed among the 46 applicants, 11 were men and one woman, but four candidates declined the City Council’s invitation to interview for the vacant City Manager position because of the great length of time it had taken the City Council to conduct the selection process or had already accepted employment elsewhere or became disinterested. Some strong and experienced candidates, including local applicants, were not invited for interviews for unknown reasons.
The eight candidates scheduled for interviews were summoned before the City Council at one of two special meetings held on Thursday, February 1, 2024 and Friday, February 2, 2024.
Scheduled to be interviewed on Thursday, February 1, 2024, were Robert A. Eads, Sonya Bishop, Uche Echeozo, and Homero Balderas, while scheduled to be interviewed on Friday, February 2, 2024 were Patrick S. Marsh, Andy L. Joslin, Fred Ventresco, and Michael T. Rogers.
The City Council has broken the record for the longest time to select and hire a City Manager now entering its 20th month. The City Council may select a new City Manager immediately after the conclusion of the interviews or choose to extend the search process.
The City Charter authorizes the City Council to select the City Manager as a political appointment and to serve at the pleasure of the City Council. The City Manager position is the one job at the City of Eagle Pass that has the shortest tenure due to the volatile political environment within City Council and their supporters. A former City Attorney once said, “three votes your in, three votes your out” to describe the tenuous position of City Manager in Eagle Pass. The Eagle Pass City Council is currently composed of five members, including the Mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem, and three Council members.
The Eagle Pass City Council is composed of Mayor Rolando Salinas, Jr., Mayor Pro-Tem William B. Davis, and Council Members Monica J. Cruz, Elias Diaz, and Mario E. Garcia.
