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Doroteo Garcia Jr. has been promoted to Brownsville assistant city manager from his position as director of Engineering and Public Works.
An employee of the city of Brownsville for nearly 22 years, Garcia was promoted from city engineer to director of public works a year and a half ago. He started his new job May 6, succeeding former assistant city manager Elizabeth Walker, who died in January.
Garcia, who also served as assistant city engineer, told the Brownsville Herald he’s excited to be stepping into the new role.
“I always felt like I did a lot more than just what a director should be doing, and now having the opportunity to assist other directors in their endeavors, I think is a great opportunity,” he said.
Garcia was made interim director of the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport eight months ago, and thinks the experience of running the airport and public works “really helped me prepare for the position that I’m taking on now, in the sense of just managing multiple departments.”
“Public works is one of the largest departments,” he said. “That in and of itself, it’s very dynamic. You have to know how to delegate. You have to know how to set expectations and responsibilities for 14 branches within public works. … We try to complement each other as a team. It seems like that was the right fit, where I could come of service to our city manager and other assistant city manager.”
Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda serves as the other assistant city manager. Both assistant city manager positions are under Deputy City Manager Alan Guard.
Garcia said he’ll probably remain on the operations side overseeing several departments such as parks and recreation, public transit and of course public works.
“I think we’ll still be able to have a lot of continuity there,” he said. “We still have Carlos Laska as our city engineer and Maribel De Leon as our assistant directory of public works.”
City Manager Helen Ramirez said she appreciates Garcia’s “can do” attitude and that he’s been instrumental in several major infrastructure and quality-of-life projects.
“My selection of Doro as our next assistant city manager is due to his experience leading one of our largest departments within our organization, made up of 1,200 dedicated employees,” she said.
Ramirez cited Garcia’s “exceptional skills in project management and sustainable urban development.”
In his new role, Garcia will also help develop and manage budgets, coordinate citywide programs, and assist in formulating and executing strategic plans.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the trust placed in me,” he said. “It has been a privilege to contribute to our city’s growth and development over the years. I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to continue making a positive impact in our community in this new capacity.”
