The City of Nacogdoches City Council has completed the search for a new city manager to a sole finalist, Mario Canizares, current Deputy City Manager for the City of Denton.
During a special City Council meeting on July 1, the council voted unanimously to allow the Mayor, Shelley Brophy, to negotiate the employment agreement on behalf of the city in order to finalize Canizares’ contract.
Through a months-long nationwide search facilitated by Strategic Government Solutions, the Nacogdoches City Council recently selected and interviewed multiple finalists from more than 50 applications.
“I am confident we have selected the best candidate for our community,” Mayor Shelley Brophy said. “After a thorough interview process with a top-tier group of finalists, we are proud we made the best decision for Nacogdoches in selecting Mr. Canizares.”
Prior to his current role in Denton, Canizares served for 8 years as Deputy City Manager for the City of Coppell and has over 24 years of city-related experience.
He is also a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University and holds a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of North Texas.
“As we look ahead, the challenges cities face will be enormous,” Canizares said. “With high service delivery demands and minimal and declining resources we must rely on governments at the local level to change our way of thinking and work collaboratively to deliver services to the community. I believe my background and skill set prepares me to lead Nacogdoches into the future.”
Canizares’ projected start date is set tentatively for Monday August 10. Notable accomplishments include Canizares’ familiarity with diverse ethinc and socio-economic communities, experience in negotiating significant economic development agreements, and his former collaborations with counties, ISDs, universities, and councils of governments.
The position of city manager has been vacant since the end of January when long-time manager Jim Jeffers retired.
