Although Amber Lewis said her new gig as Rollingwood city administrator is the first time she is managing a city on her own, she is no stranger to city government.
Her resume includes previous employment as an intern for former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel while she was a student at the University of Nebraska; a grant writer for nonprofits in Nebraska; assistant city manager of Kearney, Nebraska; and, most recently, assistant city manager of Liberty Hill, Texas.
“When I was a little kid I wanted to be the first female president, so I always had an interest in politics,” Lewis said. “My first job was as a lifeguard at the city pool because I was drawn to city government.”
Lewis moved to Texas from Nebraska four years ago when her husband, a native Texan, was offered a job in the Lone Star State.
“I always had dreams to move [out of state] but never had the opportunity,” Lewis said. “When [my husband’s job] came up, we moved here as fast as we could.”
She began working in Liberty Hill as the senior city planner, a job for which she had no prior experience but was encouraged to pursue by city staff, she said. After six months on the job, she was promoted to financial director. When human resource responsibilities and contract negotiations with developers were added to her job description, she was named assistant city manager, Lewis said.
The most pressing projects in Rollingwood include completing a master plan for the city park, addressing the city’s continued struggle with storm water drainage and expanding facilities at City Hall, she said.
“Everyone at City Hall is on top of each other right now,” Lewis said. “We have city staff, public works and the police department in one small building. Residents like having these services right in the middle of town, but space is an issue.”
She said Rollingwood is not as sprawling as Liberty Hill when it comes to new development, but the city presents its own challenges regarding the redevelopment of older homes and property rights.
“Liberty Hill is really growing fast,” Lewis said. “We were seeing about 100 new homes on the ground a month. I thought I might not be prepared to slow down a little but didn’t anticipate the scale of the redevelopment that is going on [in Rollingwood] and how demanding it is.”
Rollingwood residents are more engaged with the community and its history than other cities she has worked in, she said.
Lewis said her priority is to maintain the engagement among City Council, the mayor and residents to show the taxpayers that city government is doing what is best for the community.
“It’s always good to get feedback because sometimes in city government we try to make decisions but don’t know if we might be making a misstep,” she said. “Residents here are clear about what they want. There’s a challenge to that, but it’s a good challenge because they care and you see the results. It’s a really special place to work.”
