Margie C. Rose became the new Corpus Christi city manager July 12, the first woman and the first black to hold the position. Courtesy photo
Corpus Christi Deputy City Manager Margie C. Rose will officially become the interim city manager on June 24 when accrued leave and vacation time for resigning manager Ron Olson ends. She will serve as acting city manager until she fully takes over at the city’s chief operation officer at that time.
After the appointment at the May 24 meeting, council also decided to delay its search for a new city manager to give Rose, who has been an executive with the city 14 years, a “chance to shine.”
“With all the problems we have, we don’t need to hire another consulting firm and pay that kind of money,” said council member Lucy Rubio. ”My constituents are saying give her a chance to shine, give her the opportunity. I would prefer to wait, too. There are too many fires out there that we have to put out. I’d rather wait and give her an opportunity.”
In a presentation on the search process made to the council, former city manager of Austin, Toby Futrell, said it would take three to six months — or longer — to hire. That process would include hiring a search firm, writing a candidate profile and inviting public comment.
“In a council-manager form of government, this is the most important decision you will make,” Futrell said. She noted, too, that if members are leaning toward hiring an internal candidate, other candidates will not come forward.
“They won’t take the risk in this business to put their names out there,” she warned.
A suggestion to give Rose a 90-day trial was decided against. Instead, council agreed to proceed without a time frame to give Rose an opportunity to go through a complete budget process (over in September) and possibly through the November election.
The number of major issues the council is currently dealing with was included in the ultimate decision to hold off on a nationwide search.
“We are an organization that’s lost a city manager and three assistant city managers in a short time,” said council member Colleen McIntyre. “We are dealing with a water boil, major wastewater and street issues. We have an interim who has been with us a long time. I don’t feel this is the right time to further tax our staff with this process.”
Sometime in the next 30 days, council members will give the city secretary a list of the attributes they are looking for in a city manager. The mayor will use that list to compile a rough draft of a candidate profile that will be used to take the next step in the decision-making process.
“We need to have a steady, patient, deliberative, communicative process,” said council member Chad Magill. “If we try to get ahead of citizens and rush the process, we miss out.”
Rose has more than 29 years’ experience in local government management. She has served as city manager of Inkster, Michigan, and deputy director of parks for the County of Wayne, Michigan.
She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Public Administration from Eastern Michigan University. She holds a Credentialed City Manager designation from the International City/County Management Association and is also a certified Labor Relations Professional.
