Two weeks ago, it seemed Weslaco’s search for a city manager was set to come to a close after the city commission narrowed a list of more than a dozen applicants down to five semi-finalists. Instead, on Monday, the commission named Martin Garza the new interim city manager as the search for a permanent replacement continues.
Garza comes to Weslaco after having retired as the Mission city manager in 2018. Prior to his administrative appointment by the Mission City Council, Garza had served as that city’s chief of police. In sum, he served Mission for more than 27 years.
“As a seasoned public administration professional, Garza has a proven record of advancing local government for its citizens,” a spokesperson for Weslaco said via a news release Tuesday. “He strengthened municipal productivity for the community, helped lower the crime rate, improved the quality of life for residents, and developed effective financial management techniques that protect public funds.”
The Weslaco City Commission interviewed the five semifinalists — including then-interim City Manager Andrew Muñoz — during a special meeting March 8. Garza wasn’t one of those semifinalists.
The commission had winnowed the list down to two — San Benito City Manager Manuel de la Rosa and former Harlingen City Manager Dan Serna.
But Serna withdrew his name from consideration just before the commission was set to convene a second special meeting for a second round of interviews on March 16.
They went on to conduct the secondary interview with de la Rosa, but took no action on naming a lone finalist when they emerged from closed session that Wednesday.
“At the end of the day, it’s about what’s gonna be the best fit for this community and for the mayor and the city commission. That’s what it is — it’s about fit,” Mike Perez said afterward.
Perez served as Weslaco’s city manager for seven years before retiring at the end of October. Since his retirement, Perez has been serving as a consultant, guiding the city in its search for his successor.
The key to success in managing a city like Weslaco is understanding its uniqueness within the landscape of the Rio Grande Valley.
“Weslaco is a small city, but it’s complex. We have all the elements that any of the larger cities have, other than we don’t have a convention center,” Perez said when asked what he and the commission were searching for in city manager candidates.
“So, they had to have knowledge of water and sewer, and streets and public works. We have collective bargaining (with) police and fire, and we have all of those, so they had to have all of those experiences,” he said.
While the city searched, Muñoz — then the assistant city manager and director of the Mid Valley International Airport — stepped up as interim city manager.
But Muñoz has since stepped down as interim, returning his focus to the airport and his assistant city manager duties, according to city officials.
Meanwhile, the city commission is looking forward to Garza taking the helm, which he will do April 4.
“Martin is technically qualified and fits right in with the Weslaco community, the commission and city staff,” Weslaco Mayor David Suarez said. “We look forward to seeing him at City Hall and in our community starting this coming Monday.”
