Three Panhandle cities seeking new managers

SUNRAY, TX - City managers are currently needed for three Panhandle communities.

Sunray, Stinnett and Spearman are all searching for new city managers; however, there is no relation between these vacancies, and each circumstance is unique.

Sunray's city manager of 25 years passed away last month, leaving big shoes to fill. Spearman has an interim city manager right now, and Stinnett's vacancy opened when their manager left after just one year.

Sunray went to the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission for help filling its vacancy.

"City managers are generally professionals," said Kyle Ingham, Local Government Services Director for the Panhandle Regional Planning Committee. "They usually receive education in public administration, or some similar field like management. They come out, start a career, and some of them go 40 years as a city manager. Sometimes they're people from another industry that come in to the city management profession and do well."

Ingham said city managers are vital officials in small towns, where there are not a lot of people to take over when someone leaves the job.

City managers look over everything from trash pick up to water access to local parks, and are the people who work to fix any complaints citizens may have, and try to improve towns and cities the best they can.

Ingham says Sunray has had several applicants, and all three positions should be filled soon.

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