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SAN BENITO — City Hall’s new boss is working to help San Benito’s commission spur change voters called for in this year’s landmark election.
Less than two weeks after taking office, City Manager Fred Sandoval is working on a one-year contract opening with a six-month probationary period while receiving a $135,000 salary.
“Term will be reviewed at the end of the initial six months, at which time the city may modify and extend as desired by the city commission,” the two-page contract states.
Sandoval, who served as Pharr’s city manager for more than 10 years, is taking over at City Hall after running a business while serving as a consultant.
“I am excited, humbled and happy to be a part of the city of San Benito, and I look forward to working for the community and its citizens,” Sandoval stated Wednesday. “I am also grateful to the mayor and city commission for their vote of confidence, and I am eager to serve.”
Sandoval’s contract is new to City Hall, Mayor Rick Guerra said.
“Big cities told us, ‘No one does that — you won’t get anyone,’” he said, referring to the one-year contract.
For years, previous leaders had offered their city managers three-year contracts like the one the past commission gave former City Manager Manuel De La Rosa, who had a year remaining in his term when the new board, swept into office in May’s election, bought out his contract for about $200,000 in June.
“It’s a trial basis between the city and him,” Guerra said, referring to Sandoval.
“If you’re doing great, we’ll extend it,” he said. “If we don’t like it, we both walk away. Like I told the commission, I’m not going to be locked into a three-year contract like San Benito was in the past.”
For about seven years, De La Rosa led previous commissions with a tight fist, while some residents complained he closed himself off to the community.
During the months leading up to the May election, his management style became a campaign issue.
After residents voted in a new slate of leaders, the new commission planned to bring change to City Hall.
Now, commissioners are overseeing the city’s administration, Commissioner Tom Goodman said.
“It puts us in the position that we have to be the leaders in this community and the city manager meets our expectations,” he said.
“I’m very excited to have Mr. Sandoval there,” Goodman said. “The difference in personality between Mr. Sandoval and our previous city manager is night and day. His style is inclusive and we have needed that. He’s already demonstrating his expertise in bringing the workforce and commission together.”
Late last month, commissioners unanimously hired Sandoval after interviewing him and four other candidates for the job following a four-month search.
During the search, officials advertised for the job on the city’s website, on Indeed.com and with the Texas Municipal League.
Sandoval, who served as Pharr’s city manager from 2004 to 2015 before taking over as owner of Sylvan Learning from 2016 to 2021, had been serving as chief executive officer with Renryder Solutions since 2021 while working as a field consultant with Strategic Partnerships in Austin since 2022, his LinkedIn profile states.
The profile states he studied biology at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley from 1990 to 1991.
“He’s got a lot of experience,” Guerra said. “He was city manager for Pharr, so he knows the water and sewer (system), the economics. He’s looking for grants. He told us, the city can’t operate on just its budget. We need grants.”
Like Goodman, Guerra said Sandoval’s working to open up City Hall to the community.
“He’s more approachable,” Guerra said, comparing Sandoval’s style to De La Rosa’s character. “He’s trying to have an open-door policy. I told him, ‘Right now, we want you to get your feet wet.’ We’re looking to get a lot of issues in San Benito taken care of.”
On Oct. 24, the Valley Morning Star filed a request under the Texas Public Information Act, requesting the city disclose the names of the five candidates whom commissioners interviewed for the city manager’s job on Oct. 21.
The law requires the city respond to the request within 10 business days or seek an attorney general’s opinion regarding its withholding of the information.
By Wednesday, the city had not disclosed the candidates’ names.
Sandoval’s selection comes after a four-month search during which commissioners switched interim city managers to run daily operations.
On June 20, commissioners voted 4-1 to buy out De La Rosa’s contract for about $200,000, turning down his offer to stay on the job for up to 60 days, with Commissioner Carol Lynn Sanchez casting the dissenting vote. After about seven years on the job, he was drawing an annual salary of $175,000.
Meanwhile, commissioners hired Gavino Sotelo, a former Harlingen city manager who previously served as general manager of the Laguna Madre Water District, to serve as interim city manager.
After Sotelo suddenly resigned three weeks into the job, commissioners appointed City Secretary Ruth McGinnis to take over as interim city manager.
