Kilgore News Herald
By Lucas Strough lstrough@kilgorenewsherald.com, Reporter
July 7, 2023

Kilgore City Council members held a special meeting this week and approved the hiring of consulting firm Strategic Government Resources to conduct a search for candidates for the city manager position.

Current City Manager Josh Selleck confirmed at the meeting the search began at his request and he is assisting the city with the interviewing and hiring process and may help to train the new candidate after the selection is made.

Two firms were interviewed by video conference at the meeting: Government Professional Solutions, based in Gun Barrel City, and Strategic Government Resources, based in Keller.

Council members voted to hire SGR for the job because they have successfully worked with the firm in the past and they noted the firm has a good reputation for helping local entities, including the City of Longview and the Cherokee Water Company, find new staff members.

Lissa Barker, Senior Vice President of Executive Recruitment for SGR, told council members they typically receive about 20 final applicants for a position like city manager.

“We have 43,000 subscribers to our weekly newsletter and the (city manager) job will be shared there,” Barker said.

“We also have over 2,000 visitors to our website every month and over 10,000 visitors to our job board.”

Barker said SGR, whose staff includes former Texas city managers, will screen and interview candidates, as well as performing extensive background checks on everything from employment history to criminal history and social media posts.

“I like to say that one city manager can do really well in one city and not do so well in another city if they do not match the culture of that city. That’s why it’s imperative that process allows you guys to find the perfect fit for your organization. It will be a nationwide search and we will begin the candidate vetting process once we begin to receive applicants. We have the candidates go through many steps including written questionnaires, online interviews, media searches, as well as references and background checks as we move through the process.”

The city manager position is a demanding one, as the person in this role works with elected officials, city employees and the public to keep all aspects of local government running smoothly on a day-to-day basis.

Barker said finding the right candidate will take a thorough search, lasting approximately 12 to 15 weeks. This would put the timeline of having the new candidate begin full-time work at sometime in September or October.

Selleck said he would be happy to assist the candidate search process and remain in the his current position until a new candidate is hired and added he can help train the new candidate, if necessary. He added he would be releasing a public statement on his decision.

Selleck has served as city manager since March 2015. Prior to working in Kilgore, he was employed as an assistant city manager for Cedar Park. He also previously held positions as director of finance for Cedar Park, director of finance and budget manager for the City of Kerrville and budget analyst for Lubbock.