The town announced the decision in a Jan. 27 statement, saying Wallace would continue to provide “guidance and stability” during a period when openings at several other top government positions remain unfilled.
“Debra has provided excellent leadership to this organization during the recent transition,” Mayor Steve Dixon said in a statement, “and given the need to fill key vacancies, the Town Council believes it is in our best interest to ask her to continue in that role until we feel we are ready for a new Town Manager to take on this important position.”
The search for the next town manager, run by an outside firm, had been underway for months. Former Town Manager Jimmy Stathatos left Flower Mound in September for the city manager job with Bedford.
Flower Mound’s former economic development director, Andrea Roy, followed Stathatos to Bedford a few weeks later. And town spokesperson Molly Fox is expected to join the two former employees in February.
Before her departure was announced, Fox said the Flower Mound economic development director position would be filled by the next permanent town manager.
Now, that task and others appear set to fall to Wallace.
“I plan to provide the stability and expertise to keep the Town on course,” Wallace said in the statement. “This will also allow me to fill our top-level vacancies and implement the Council’s vision, by following through on recent initiatives, such as All Together Flower Mound.”
Before the town announced the decision to stick with Wallace, it had narrowed the field to several finalist candidates for town manager, Fox previously said. The town was at one point expected to announce a hiring decision as early as February.
The firm conducting the town manager search is expected to resume its recruitment efforts when the council is ready to fill the position permanently, according to the statement.
