Montgomery city officials hope to hire a new city administrator by the end of November, officials said, six months after ending its contract with the former executive after a vote of "no confidence."
Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
The Courier of Montgomery County
Michael Garcia, Staff writer
Montgomery city officials hope to hire a new city administrator by the end of November, officials said, six months after ending its contract with the former executive after a vote of "no confidence."
City council narrowed its candidate pool to five from 38 after entering a three-month contract in June with SGR, a Keller, Texas-based consulting firm.
After former City Administrator Richard Tramm was fired in May, Mayor Byron Sanford said he is looking to hire someone with a proactive style of leadership to be able to handle growth in the area.
“There’s a lot of places that are really dealing with hyper growth, and we are one of them,” Sanford said, citing 1,500 homes within the city.
He said he’s hoping to have a decision before Thanksgiving.
Tramm served as city administrator since 2019, replacing then former City Administrator Jack Yates, who retired for health reasons.
Following an executive session May 24, the council terminated its contract with Tramm in a 4-1 vote for “no confidence.” Councilman T.J. Wilkerson was the lone nay vote.
Sanford called the reason for the termination “philosophical and procedural in nature,” claiming to have observed issues when he first served as a city council member in May 2021.
“We brought those concerns in October (2021) with the idea that things would improve,” he said. “They did not.”
Dave McCorquodale, director of planning and development, has served as interim city administrator since June.
As for the five candidates, Sanford said he feels very optimistic.
“As I review the resumes and the recommendations of people and read there press clippings … these are seasoned veterans that we’re talking to,” Sanford said. “I’m very optimistic we’re going to be able to find the right kind of leadership for our city moving forward.”
michael.d.garcia@chron.com