Pharr hires Alton police chief to serve as assistant city manager

Pharr officials looked to Alton when needing to recruit a new administrator and hired that community’s police chief, Jonathan B. Flores, to serve as Pharr’s new assistant city manager.

The city of Pharr said in a news release Friday afternoon that Flores had been hired for the position and brings with him more than 20 years of “diverse law enforcement experience.”

In Alton, Flores had served as the city’s police chief and assistant city manager. He had been working in Alton since 2005 and moved up from patrol.

“I am truly humbled and excited for the opportunity to serve my hometown of Pharr as their new Assistant City Manager,” Flores, a Pharr native, said in the release. “I am grateful to Mayor Dr. Ambrosio Hernandez, and the city commission for selecting me to join their leadership team, as we work diligently to continue to move Pharr forward.”

According to the city of Pharr, Flores is a graduate of the 90th session of LEMIT’s (Law Enforcement Management Institute) Leadership Command College and “has garnered recognition for his leadership at the local, state, national, and international levels including the International Association of Chiefs of Police 40 under 40 leadership award, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Public Service Award, and the Texas Police Chief’s Association Leadership Award.”

A 2023 inductee into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame for Distinguished Service in Toledo, Ohio, Flores is also a leadership fellow for the Texas Municipal League and is “currently in the process of earning credentialed manager candidate status through the International City Manager’s Association.”

Hernandez praised Flores in the release.

“He is a great fit for our city leadership and I look forward to the many great things we will accomplish for our Pharr citizens in the coming years,” Hernandez stated.