Four high-ranking city officials have been named finalists for the El Paso city manager position to replace Tommy Gonzalez, who was fired by the City Council almost a year ago.
Chief Financial Officer Robert Cortinas, Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino, Climate and Sustainability Officer Nicole Alderete-Ferrini and Deputy City Manager Dionne Mack were announced as finalists by Mayor Oscar Leeser during a Friday news conference at City Hall.
“This council knocked it out of the ballpark by picking the best of the best,” Leeser said, adding that local candidates were the ones who rose to the top of the list.
Two other people with El Paso roots were selected as alternate finalists: Former El Paso fire chief Samuel Peňa, who now serves as fire chief in Houston, and Veronica Soto, who previously served as director of community development for the city and now works for the U. S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Recovery Programs.
Leeser said 80 people applied for the job, with 14 selected for review by the City Council. The finalists will meet with stakeholder and citizen advisory panels on Aug. 7, when there will also be a public forum for the community to meet them. The mayor and council will interview the finalists on Aug. 8. The selected person would start the job Sept. 1, Leeser said.
The city manager, who reports to the mayor and council, serves as the chief administrative officer of the city government that employs close to 7,000 people, and is responsible for preparing the annual budget, which stands at about $1.3 billion. The city manager appoints executive leadership to oversee staff operations and city services.
The national search firm, Chicago-based Baker Tilly, lists the city manager salary between $325,000 to $375,000. The position is contract-based, with its term, compensation and other stipulations set in an agreement approved by council.
The search started in March after being delayed since last year, with the listed application deadline of June 10.
Cary Westin, who has been serving as interim city manager since March 2023, has said he did not want to seek the role on a permanent basis.
Gonzalez, whose controversial employment contract played a key role in his abrupt termination, had a starting salary of $238,959 in 2014 and ended at about $442,000. He was the city’s second city manager, replacing Joyce Wilson, who retired after serving 10 years in the role.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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