Saturday, September 7, 2024
Following a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the Gatesville City Council voted unanimously to appoint Interim City Manager Brad Hunt to the permanent role of Gatesville City Manager.
The vote came after an executive session on the decision. City Council Member Meredith Reiner made the first motion to offer Hunt the position of city manager and to also hire Mike Halsema permanently as Deputy City Manager.
“I am honored that Mayor Chumley and the city council members agree with that vision and chose to appoint me to lead the way forward,” Hunt said.
Mayor Gary Chumley expressed that Hunt has demonstrated leadership skills in the past four months that the city council has been looking for.
“He has done an excellent job with the budget, and we are pleased with his vision for the future of Gatesville,” Chumley said. “He has also become an integral part of the community being involved in the schools and sports activities with his children.”
Following Scott Albert’s exit as Gatesville City Manager in May, Hunt stepped up to take on the position as the interim city manager.
“As I continued to work with council, our citizens, and our city department heads over the past three months, I enjoyed our sense of teamwork and everyone’s willingness to work toward common goals,” Hunt said. “I was able to see the many opportunities here in Gatesville for service to our community, as well as developing the start of a long-term vision for improving the quality of life here.”
Hunt also mentioned that with Halsema’s input and the staff’s expertise, the city has laid out a foundation for great things to come.
“I believe that leading starts with serving, both internally and externally, in any organization,” he said. “I will continue to mentor and develop our team-oriented approach to meeting the challenges and needs of the city. We’ve made great strides in a short time, and we are positioned to continue for a long time to come.”
Hunt formerly served as the Gatesville Police Chief before he accepted the role as city manager. He stated that Interim Police Chief Georg Cleverley will remain in her interim role while a search for a new police chief is conducted. The position will be posted publicly in the coming weeks to seek out a servant-oriented leader for the permanent appointment.
Kaylee Dusang contributed to this report.
