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McALLEN — “It’s amazing! I’ve worked really hard to make McAllen the best for our citizens, our visitors, our guests. And for the city commission to have the trust and faith in me to promote me to being their city manager just speaks volumes.”
So reflected Isaac Tawil, the man McAllen city leaders tapped to lead the City of Palms after longtime City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez retires next month.
“It really, really means the world to me,” Tawil told The Monitor via phone Thursday from Monterrey, Mexico, where they had just successfully inked an economic development partnership with Monterrey’s World Trade Center, a part of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.
The McAllen City Commission chose to elevate Tawil to the highest administrative position with the city after interviewing three candidates during a special meeting Monday.
Tawil has served the city of McAllen for more than a decade — first as an assistant city attorney in McAllen’s in-house legal department before being named the head of the department in 2021 after the retirement of former City Attorney Kevin Pagan.
Speaking after the city’s announcement, McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos said Tawil was the perfect candidate to replace Rodriguez, who has led the city through more than a decade of economic growth and financial stability.
“We looked at Mr. Tawil, I mean, he’s had his input in every subject, in every department,” Villalobos said.
“He’s in everything, and really, a lot of the times, (he) was Roy’s right-hand man. So, we felt very comfortable at the end, and we thought that this was the person… to keep on having us on the same trajectory of success,” the mayor added.
Tawil echoed that sentiment, saying his primary goal once he takes office on Sept. 13 will be to “continue to work on the path that they (the city commission) have set us on.”
Tawil positively gushed over the city he is set to soon lead, saying McAllen’s successes are due to the steadiness of its elected leadership and the skill of its current city manager.
“The financial security and stability that they have crafted for the city of McAllen really is unparalleled anywhere,” Tawil said.
Nor was Tawil shy about heaping praise on his mentor.
“I cannot compliment Roy enough for the level of execution that he has worked to accomplish the goals that the commission has put before us. It really is a testament to him,” Tawil said of Rodriguez.
The city attorney wasn’t the only current McAllen city staffer who applied for the top spot.
Two of Rodriguez’s subordinates — assistant city managers Michelle Rivera and Jeff Johnston — also threw their names in the hat.
And six people from outside the city also applied to be city manager, according to records released under a Texas Public Information Act request.
But the commission only chose to interview its three in-house applicants on Monday — a decision that pleased Rodriguez.
“I’m real happy that they did that because it says a lot about our organization,” Rodriguez said while standing just outside the legislative chamber Monday afternoon.
“This is a very complicated city, and a lot bigger city than most people realize. … Not to mention that the learning curve for somebody from outside (of McAllen) would be tremendous,” Rodriguez added.
For Mayor Villalobos, choosing someone who already had the experience and understanding of how McAllen works meant they could hit the ground running.
“We knew that we had to get somebody that could, just right off the bat, just go in there and do what has to be done ‘cause we have so many, so many things going on,” Villalobos said.
But choosing between the three internal candidates was a difficult decision, the mayor said, calling all three “amazing.”
For his part, Tawil said he was humbled to even be put on the commission’s short list with the two assistant city managers.
“Michelle and Jeff are the epitome of professionals and perfectionists at what they do. … They are, I would argue, the best in city management across the state,” Tawil said of his colleagues.
Of the external candidates who applied, only two had any prior experience working for local government. They include Randy Perez, who most recently served as the city manager of Mission.
Perez’s resume listed a litany of high-powered references, including construction magnate Alonzo Cantu, former Pharr city manager and Texas Transportation Commissioner Alejandro “Alex” Meade, former Texas Workforce Commissioner Julian Alvarez, current Mission Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza, former Mission Mayor Ricardo A. Perez, and Weslaco City Manager Martin Garza.
However, in March, Randy Perez left the city of Mission under a cloud after irregularities in the city’s finances led to questions over Mission’s fiscal health.
That city is still working to rectify the issues.
Another public servant, Russell R. Solis, of Pharr, also applied to be the McAllen city manager. Currently, Solis works as a manager within Hidalgo County’s buildings and grounds department, according to his resume.
The resumes of two other candidates listed experience handling the finances of private companies. They are Rigoberto V. Abrego, the CFO and COO of Mission-based R&E Trucking, and Maria del Carmen Sosa, who currently serves as the controller for McAllen-based Fourwide Transportation and Logistics.
Another candidate, Abraham Cantu, of McAllen, is in the midst of building a civilian life and career after more than 20 years at various posts with the U.S. Army, his resume shows.
And the final candidate, James Arnold De La Garza, recently earned a masters degree in public administration.
De La Garza currently works as a case manager for San Benito-based Southwest Key Programs, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter for unaccompanied migrant children.
