Some members of the community gathered outside City Hall this morning to express concerns about the search for a new City Manager.
Those citizens said that by not publishing the names of candidates, they feel city officials are not being transparent about the search for a new City Manager.
“We want to know who applied for the job, who’s left on the list, and the requirements that were asked by the city,” Ray Madrigal de Pancho Villa said.
A list of candidates for that position has not been made public.
Mayor Joe McComb said a search firm, Slavin Management Consultants, is still finalizing the list of candidates, and that he doesn’t even have access to the names on the list yet.
The mayor said there are legal and ethical reasons why the city has not released the names of applicants.
“I feel like we’ve got a responsibility and I think the law is on my side. There’s a personal side to this as far as the legal side and the ethical side, and I think you’ve got tp protect those people’s privacy and honor it,” McComb said.
Madrigal said the public has a right to that information.
“The next City Manager might be there for a lifetime and we want to make sure that the person that is selected corresponds with the population of Corpus Christi,” Madrigal said.
However, McComb said prematurely announcing any names could jeopardize current jobs the potential candidates hold.
“I think people just need to be patient. You asked the council to do their job and we’re doing our due diligence,” McComb said. “I’m not interested in character assassination or ruining somebody’s career just because somebody’s curious about who’s gonna get this job.”
McComb said he will be provided with a list of candidates Tuesday, and then council will discuss those candidates Wednesday morning.
In order for that list to be released, the finalists would have to unanimously approve of their names being made public.