Terrell Smith joined the City of Marshall staff at the beginning of this month as the city’s new city manager.

Smith came to Marshall from Sugarland, where he spent the last six years in various positions, ending as the assistant to the city manager.

Before working in Sugarland, Smith attended the University of North Texas to get his master’s degree in public administration while also working as an intern in city government around the Denton area.

Smith said that he, like most people living in the country today, wasn’t really aware of the importance local government played until he was studying for his undergraduate degree.

“When was it that you first realized the role city government played in everyday life? For me, it was when I was in college. I started to learn about all of the ways that city government and city managers and councils operated,” he said, “That was when I started being interested in working in city government initially.”

He went to school for both a history degree and a secondary education degree in preparation of becoming a social studies teacher, but Smith said that he took a few classes on local government and history that sparked his interest in the public administration profession.

That passion only continued to grow through his internship and through his work in Sugarland, according to Smith, who said that he started with the City of Sugarland as a management assistant and worked through a number of positions and promotions before leaving the city for Marshall.

Smith’s official first day in his new position was May 2, and he said he has spent the first two weeks of his new job getting to know the people in the community and city staff, as well as familiarizing himself with the problems currently faced by the city.

“What I have found is that we have a lot of truly amazing assets in this city,” Smith said, “So what I want to do is focus on maintenance and upkeep of those assets, as well as promotion of them to the public.”

He said that the current City Council has tasked him with looking into a variety of areas currently affecting city residents, including quality of life, infrastructure, general maintenance and retail and other business investments.

“A big part of my job right now is listening to people,” Smith said, “Then we determine how to make a plan. Whether we double down our efforts on something or make plans to do something different.”

He commented on Marshall’s ideal location compared to Interstate 20 and U.S. 59, as well as the four local colleges in the city, all of which he said makes the city much more than just a small rural town.

“When you think of East Texas, so many people always think it’s so small and rural, but with Marshall its different here,” Smith said, “There is a lot of possibility here for growth, and that’s really appealing to me; to be in a place where I can grow with the city.”

Smith has officially stepped into his role as the new city manager, and is working out of Marshall City Hall Monday through Friday. Community members can reach him at Smith.Terrell@marshalltexas.net.