On Aug. 1., the city of McKinney welcomed new City Manager Paul Grimes. Grimes has several years’ experience in city management. He and his family moved from Orland Park, Illinois, to McKinney, and Grimes said he is ready to become part of the community by immersing himself in everything the city has to offer.

Grimes said in his youth, he used to bail hay and detassle corn and worked in meat-packing, adding that he is not afraid of getting his hands dirty.

He calls himself a “hayseed kid from Indiana” who earned everything he owns through hard work, something of which he said he is very proud. Grimes also said through his experience, he has gained the ability to have meaningful conversation with the highly educated and typical working-class people.

Tell me a little about yourself. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Fulton, Indiana, a town of about 400 people in north-central Indiana.

What led you to a career in city management?

I’ve always been drawn to public service, but if you would have asked me in college or even graduate school if I wanted to be a city manager, I probably wouldn’t have had much idea of what that entailed. Over the years, however, I found myself drawn to the action in city management. There are many layers and aspects to running a city, and that relative diversity attracted me. Cities really are the laboratories of democracy. I like the servant leadership aspect of public administration, particularly at the local government level where interaction with the community and the businesses and residents is very direct. Local government can be fairly entrepreneurial, and I’m a firm believer and advocate of local communities charting their own futures with their decision-making. And, learning and bringing best practices in our field toward decision-making and management is very exciting.

What have been the most rewarding surprises you’ve encountered in this role?

I’m not sure about surprises … There are always lots of surprises. However, with respect to rewarding, the people—it’s usually always the people that I find the most rewarding. It is always gratifying to complete a project, gain recognition for something we’ve done right or launch a new initiative. But seeing the communities thrive and develop with the efforts of many people—often with divergent interests—working together is the most rewarding.

Why did you choose to come to McKinney?

McKinney has an outstanding reputation for quality of life. So, from a family standpoint, the quality of life, schools and overall place to raise a family was very important. Professionally, I was interested in joining a larger and rapidly growing community. That brings challenges that, as a practitioner in the field of city management, is very appealing. Every community has its challenges, and every community has a history. But every community also has—or needs—a vision, and the fun and challenging part is navigating all those dynamics in getting results that the community supports toward that vision.

What is your policy regarding interaction with residents?

My approach is to ensure that all our residents receive courteous and informative responses. We cannot always give folks what they want or tell them what they want to hear, but my experience is that when we respond in a timely fashion with helpful information, most people appreciate it. McKinney is a high-service community, as is Orland Park for that matter. Our challenge is being smarter and more efficient in how we respond to increasing demands in an impatient world. That’s part of the challenge—and part of the fun.