Buda EDC board chairwoman: Executive Director Ketteman heading to Alice

Ketteman's three-year contract was to come up for renewal in September. Chilcote said it was Ketteman's choice to make the board's decision effective immediately. He turned over his EDC cell phone and keys to the EDC office Monday night.

"That was totally his decision," she said. "He has been pursuing jobs in other towns because he felt like there were new challenges in his future."

Ketteman said he had kept Chilcote and Mayor Sarah Mangham aware of his job search.

"As I told the board last night, they were aware that I was looking for an opportunity, maybe at a larger city," Ketteman said. "I had notified the board chairman and the mayor via email at least two times where I was a finalist over the past year or more at different communities. I didn't want them to be caught unawares that that was going on. I just thought that was the professional thing to do, to keep them abreast of that."

Chilcote said the board knew that Alice, Texas, was among the cities where Ketteman had been looking for a new position.

"He was offered a job in Alice, and he accepted it," she said. "I'm 100 percent sure. I think everything worked out well, everything came together."

After the June 4 meeting, Ketteman was placed on administrative leave. Chilcote said she was uncertain what would happen with the remainder of Ketteman's contract, though the board had originally decided to pay him through September.

"At this point, I think it's a legal issue in terms of, he's accepted another job already, so I'm not sure he'll be paid anything, but " she said.

Ketteman has directed the EDC during a decade of change for Buda that included the arrival of Cabela's and US Foods.

"We are where we are based on a lot of projects that he and his board worked on, and we are grateful for that," Chilcote said. "Although he wasn't directly responsible for bringing H-E-B or Walmart or Cabela's or US Foods to Buda, he did provide support related to those projects. And his boards, as well, did whatever they could to help further those projects."

Chilcote also praised Ketteman and past boards for the foresight to develop areas underneath Buda.

"Because of that foresight we are going to be able to develop certain areas of town that had no water or sewer available," she said.

The board of directors will continue to operate the EDC in the absence of an executive director, she said. The process of finding a new director will begin at an open meeting starting at 6 p.m. June 18 at the Buda Chamber of Commerce offices.

She said the board is looking forward to moving forward with the process, which could take several months, and to finding a new director.

"We hope that they can try and [follow in] Warren's footsteps. Emphasis on the word 'try,'" she said. "He'll be missed. We value all of his efforts, everything that he has helped accomplish in Buda, and we truly wish him well. There's no animosity involved."

Ketteman said the details had not been finalized in Alice, but said he plans to stay in the state and in work with economic development.

"Who knows what the future holds?" he said. "I'm going to stay in economic development in Texas—it's the hotbed of economic development for the whole country. Texas has been good to me, and it's great for economic development and job growth.

"I think the future's bright, there's opportunities out there in Texas, and I'm going to look and take advantage of those."