The search for a new La Grange City Manager is down to two candidates, Fred Bell of Los Fresnos and Kevin Carruth of Rockport.

Interim City Manager Frank Menefee told the Record this week that the City Council has dropped from consideration a third candidate, Rebecca Gleason of Bastrop, whom they interviewed back in November.

Council selected David Harris of Schertz as the sole finalist following interviews in November. However, contract negotiations between Harris and the Council came to an impasse over pay. The Council terminated negotiations with Harris on Jan. 9.

With Gleason out of the running, that leaves Bell and Carruth up for the post, unless the Council decides to seek additional candidates.

Listed below are brief profiles of Bell and Carruth previously published in the Record:

• Fred Franklin Bell of Los Fresnos has been the assistant city manager of San Benito since 2018. He also serves as the Emergency Management Coordinator of San Benito, which is located in the Rio Grande Valley near Harlingen. Prior to that, Bell served 23 years in law enforcement, including a stint as Police Chief for the City of Arcola, a suburb of Houston.