INTERVIEWS FOR NEW PHARR CITY MANAGER BEGIN THIS WEEK
By G. Romero Wendorf
PHARR – Interviews for the new Pharr city manager are expected to begin this Thursday, according to Mayor “Amos” Hernandez. And if things proceed as the mayor “hopes,” the city’s new top administrator will be announced by the city commission next Tuesday after an executive session is convened, meant to finaliz the matter.
Of the approximate 22 applicants, Hernandez said that after reviewing them with the city clerk, he only felt that three met the necessary qualifications to become the Hub City’s next chief administrator.
Those include current interim city manager, Juan Guerra; the current executive director of the Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority (RMA), Pilar Rodriguez; and a woman from east Texas who has served as city manager but currently serves as an assistant city manager. Unfortunately, at press time this week, there wasn’t enough time to gain sufficient information about her qualifications from the Pharr city clerk’s office Going into the interview process, however, the two top contenders would appear to be Guerra, 37, and Rodriguez, 46, since both men have the most experience with Valley municipalities, and both men have lived in the Valley for so long; both local high school graduates.
The major divide between the two, however, would appear to be annual income. Probably no big surprise considering the nine-year age gap, meaning one’s been “at it” longer than the other.
Currently, Guerra is making $108,000 as interim CM. He was earning $106k as CFO, but was awarded a $2,000 stipend when handed the interim position.
Rodriguez is making $200,000 as executive director of the RMA.
How that salary disparity might play into who gets the job is anyone’s guess. No one yet knows what the city is offering to pay its new CM.
JUAN GUERRA
Guerra graduated from Nikki Rowe in 1996.
A former Marine, he has his hard-earned CPA in hand along with an MBA degree. He has served as Pharr’s finance director and chief financia officer for eight years before being named the city’s interim CM last month. All told, he’s worked in city government for 15 years, including stints at La Feria, Sherman, Texas, and Fort Worth.
If awarded the permanent job of city manager, Guerra said:
“My role as the city manager would be to work with the elected officialsto roll out their vision for the city, to understand their priorities and use the resources at my disposal to get them done in a legal, organized, fair, and fiscall responsible way. I understand that (the public) didn’t elect the city manager. They elected the mayor and commissioners to represent them, and I try to manage with that in mind. As the interim, I have recently had the honor to work for the citizens of Pharr at the will of the elected officials.
Asked why he thinks he would be the best choice for the position, Guerra said:
“I believe that I am the best candidate for several reasons. First, I am a very qualified individual. I have relevant experience in small and very big organizations with over 10 years as a director in municipal government. I have eight years working in the City of Pharr in the form of Finance Director and Chief Financial Office, which included economic development analysis and Pharr International Bridge Director duties. I have a Master in Business Administration, which has helped with the many changes previously identifie as already implemented. I am a Certified Public Accountant, which has helped with the great improvement of the city’s finances. I am certified in government management through my certificationas a Certified Public Manager and as a Certified Government Finance Office. And I have leadership skills/traits developed from my successful military service, which included meritorious promotions and leadership training.”
PILAR RODRIGUEZ
Rodriguez is a professional engineer who has spent 20 years in local government, including a stint as one of McAllen’s assistant city managers before departing to the RMA in April of 2012. He graduated from PSJA in 1987.
As mentioned toward the top of this story, the obvious difference between Rodriguez and Guerra is the salary each is currently earning: $200,000 vs. $108,000.
Former City Manager Fred Sandoval’s base salary was $190,000, based on 18 years with the city; 10 of those spent as city manager.
Asked if he’d be willing to take a pay cut if offered the job, Pilar Rodriguez said he would, as long as it was commensurate with what other cities of comparable size are paying.
“To me, money isn’t everything,” he said. “I enjoy what I’m doing with the RMA, but I spent most of my career in city government, and that’s what I enjoy, the road down which I like to travel. I started from the ground up in the (city’s) engineering department and moved up from there. And along the way, I was involved in most aspects of the city (McAllen), from the bridge, to the airport, the golf course, the convention center, capital improvement projects.”
In addition, Rodriguez said, “I also administered departments including public works, the firedepartment, sanitation, planning, purchasing, engineering, code enforcement, building inspections and public health.”
Asked what he thinks a commensurate city manager salary would be for the city of Pharr relative to other cities its size, Pilar Rodriguez said, “I think, between $150,000 to $180,000.”
In addition to his work with the city of McAllen and the RMA, Rodriguez has also served as a volunteer Pharr firefighter for the past 29 years. He currently serves as a deputy chief.