Gary Whitehead is selected as city manager

Gary Whitehead, a native of Truth or Consequences, local business owner, landowner, land manager, financial advisor, prior county manager and county commissioner, was selected to be the next city manager by the city commission in an open session after a closed session on Jan. 22. 

He will start Monday, Jan. 27. 

Mayor Rolf Hechler gave a summary of the selection process during the regular meeting, while giving his report. Seven candidates applied, he said, one turning in his application late. Five were weeded out without being interviewed “because they didn’t have the writing skills,” as judged by the commissioners in reviewing resumes and applications. 

The commission had a discussion about the pros and cons of hiring an “insider or an outsider,” Hechler said, perhaps referring to insider Whitehead and outsider Richard Arellano from Austin, Texas. Hechler did not give the rationale, however, just the discussion topic.

I emailed each of the commissioners, asking them to explain their insider/outsider pros and cons and what swayed them to select an insider. I also asked them to give me the amount and pertinent details of Whitehead’s contract. None of them responded within my designated 36-hour window. 

Whitehead, on the other hand, answered my email within hours and talked to me on the phone, which is a good sign he will be accessible and responsive to the people. 

Asked why he wanted the job, Whitehead said he was in a period in his life “where I felt I had some time to give. I wanted to do something big and momentous.” 

Up until Whitehead took the job as city manager, he was working for the South Central Council of Governments as a technical grants coordinator for the 13-county organization, which gave him some insight into the city’s needs, he said.  

“When the current city manager stepped down,” Whitehead said, “it felt like it was the right thing to do.” 

At SCOG, Whitehead heard Hechler “ask if we could find funds for water issues that the city wouldn’t have to reimburse–from the state and federal governments.”  

Besides being familiar with government grants, Whitehead’s financial-advisor background has trained him “how to find financing and how to finance in different ways;” experience he will bring to bear as city manager. 

The city’s biggest needs, said Whitehead, “are infrastructure. Water and sewer, not so much the electric side.” 

Whitehead said he was also asked by the city commission to “create economic development downtown.” He thinks “there are opportunities around the Lee Belle Johnson” community center, on Foch Street, and he intends to come up with “thoughtful, out-of-the-box” ideas for downtown. 

Asked about transparency, communication with the public and whether he will give regular reports on the city’s many capital projects, Whitehead said, “I think transparency has got to be improved.” 

“I’m very confident in my skill set,” Whitehead said, referring to his communication skills, adding the corollary rhetorical question, “Why hire an insider?” Whitehead knows many of the people working and living in T or C, “and they know me,” he said. 

The current lack of reporting “may be because staff is overwhelmed,” Whitehead said. “Look at the water problem. It’s huge. It’s on every street. We can’t keep everyone content, but it helps by talking about it.” 

For his first steps, Whitehead will visit with city departments, seeking to understand staff and their needs and, “finding the places where I can help them.” 

In his study of the departments, Whitehead said he will concentrate on the finance department, looking at “the audit, and then the budget preparation, which must be done by April.” 

Then he will study the city’s capital projects, estimating those first steps will take “about two weeks.” 

 

 

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Kathleen Sloan
Kathleen Sloan

Kathleen Sloan has been a local-government reporter for 17 years, covering counties and cities in three states—New Mexico, Iowa and Florida. She has also covered the arts for various publications in Virginia, New Mexico and Iowa. Sloan worked for the Truth or Consequences Herald newspaper from 2006 to 2013; it closed December 2019. She returned to T or C in 2019 and founded the online newspaper, the Sierra County Sun, with Diana Tittle taking the helm as editor during the last year and a half of operation. The Sun closed December 2021, concurrent with Sloan retiring. SierraCountySun.org is still an open website, with hundreds of past articles still available. Sloan is now a board member of the not-for-profit organization, the Sierra County Public-Interest Journalism Project, which supported the Sun and is currently sponsoring the Sierra County Citizen, another free and open website. Sloan is volunteering as a citizen journalist, covering the T or C beat. She can be reached at kathleen.sloan@gmail.com or 575-297-4146.

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One comment

  1. The fact that most of the applicants “didn’t have the necessary writing skills” is mind-boggling to me. I don’t know if it’s more indicative of the world today or the quality of the applicants that TorC is able to attract. I suspect it’s more the latter.

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