The candidates include:
James Childers[/caption]James Childers has 12 years of local government experience and is currently the assistant city manager for the city of Abilene, where he previously served as director of community services. He also served as the assistant director of code compliance and as management development associate for the city of Dallas, and as human resource generalist for the town of Flower Mound. Childers holds a master’s of public administration from the University of North Texas, and a bachelor of arts in political science from Midwestern State University.
Robert Cowell[/caption]Robert Cowell is currently the deputy city manager for the city of Amarillo, Texas, and has 22 years of local government experience. He also served as the executive director of planning and development services for the city of College Station, and planning division manager and senior planner for Jefferson County, Missouri. Cowell is a visiting assistant professor of practice at Texas A&M University in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. An ICMA credentialed manager and a certified urban planner, Cowell has a master's of urban planning from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor of science in aeronautics from St. Louis University.
Bert Lumbreras[/caption]Bert Lumbreras has 35 years of local government experience and has served as the assistant city manager for the city of Austin since 2006. He previously served as assistant city manager for the city of Waco, and as city manager in the Texas cities of Uvalde, Alamo, Floresville, and Dilley. Lumbreras holds a bachelor of arts in political science from Southwest Texas State University.
Michael Marrero[/caption]Michael Marrero has been with the city of Odessa, for 22 years and currently serves as deputy city manager. He previously held the positions of assistant city manager, director of community development, and program manager. Marrero holds a master's of public administration from Sul Ross State University, and a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Texas–Permian Basin.
Stephen Riley[/caption]Stephen Riley has 29 years of local government experience and currently serves as the town manager for the town of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where he also served as director of community development. He previously served as city planner for the city of Beaufort, South Carolina, and planner for the Beaufort County Joint Planning Commission. He also worked as a planner for BRW, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An ICMA credentialed manager, Riley holds a master's of arts in urban and regional planning from the University of Iowa, and a bachelor of arts in geography-urban studies from the University of Nebraska.
The position became vacant when former City Manager Jared Miller left the city in January to pursue the same job in the city of Amarillo. Miller joined the city Jan. 6, 2014 with an annual salary of $172,500.
