The city of Fulshear has hired Jack Harper to fill the city manager’s position, according to Angela Fritz, the city’s economic development director and acting communications manager. Harper starts April 9 and will replace interim City Manager Kenny Seymour. The city had been without a permanent city manager since late last year when Fulshear’s first city manager, CJ Snipes, left the position after serving in the roll since September 2010. Former Assistant City Manager Paula Ryan served as interim city manager from September through Feb. 17, when Seymour was appointed. “My top priorities are going to be settling into the job,” Harper said. “Get out and about in the public and get to know everyone.” Harper holds a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in public administration from Texas Tech University. He also holds a variety of certifications through various governmental and private sector agencies. Harper intends to make it a point to get a good working knowledge of the city and identify upcoming challenges, he said. He will also focus on meeting all of the city’s employees, which will include getting out of City Hall and seeing what staff are doing in the community. Helping the Fulshear City Council implement their Strategic Plan and Report, which the governing body adopted March 20, will be a priority for Harper. The plan focuses on five priorities including reputation and level of service associated with city agencies, infrastructure maintenance and development, economic development, recreational opportunities and community development. Ron Cox, a consultant who helped the Council develop the plan, said that the document emphasizes government transparency. “Transparency is very important in everything that we do so where we can be transparent, we need to be,” Harper said. Harper said that he will propose that the city create an online transparency portal similar to one he worked to develop in Waco as assistant city manager, called Open Government. He said that the Fulshear City Council (?) already has a foundation of public disclosure on its website, and he believes he can build on that. Filling the position of city secretary will also be a priority, Harper said. The city dismissed Diana Offord, the former city secretary, after City Attorney J. Grady Randle discovered that Offord had multiple court judgements against her. The judgments stemmed from courts determining Offord made false statements in court documents and under oath. Seymour said during a March 29 special session of the city council that such judgments caused a lack of confidence in Offord’s ability to validate city documents and manage city elections. “That’ll be one of the things that I’ll be visiting with the city council about when I get there,” Harper said. “That’s just one position that’s pretty high level, so I’ll be visiting with the city council to address positions getting filled.” Harper said he believes his experience in Waco will serve him well. Waco has seen a great deal of new development and tourism growth over the last few years which have prepared him for dealing with Fulshear’s rapid expansion. He said that he expects the city’s growth to continue over the next several years. “I look forward to meeting everyone, and in working with the City Council, City staff, and all stakeholders in working together to best position Fulshear for the future,” Harper said.