Kilgore city manager accepts Kyle’s top post

Kyle has its third fulltime city manager. His name is J. Scott Sellers, although most references to him drop that first initial. He is 35 and comes tp Kyle following a three-year stint as the city manager of Kilgore, Texas, whose mayor, R.E. Spradlin III, referred to Sellers as "a superstar."


"I’m really happy with the choice," Mayor Scott Webster said after the council adjourned. "I’m excited about the opportunity to work with this guy. I personally believe I’ve brought a lot of energy to this job and the city. I’m going a hundred miles an hour all the time. But I’m going to have a hard time keeping up with this guy. What we’re gaining here is someone who is going to be challenging us to think bigger and drive for more. I think he’s going to be a change agent but a change in the direction we’re trying to go."


Following a one hour, 45-minute executive session (during which other items in addition to the hiring of a city manager were discussed), the Kyle city council voted unanimously Tuesday evening to offer Sellers the position. Today, in a message to Kilgore’s city staff, Sellers said:


"After much prayer I have decided to accept the offer. My wife and I feel that this move is a good fit for our growing family as well as my career. Leaving Kilgore is an emotional roller coaster for me. I have grown to love this city, and together we have worked incredibly hard on behalf of all Kilgore citizens."


In a letter to the Kyle City Council, Sellers wrote:


"I have researched the City of Kyle thoroughly by reading the Kyle Comprehensive Plan, Transportation Plan, Infrastructure Evaluation and Analysis Report, and Annual Budget. Additionally, I attended the FM 150 Character Study Open House and have driven city streets to gain first-hand knowledge of the transportation and infrastructure issues. I am very confident I can quickly bring fiscally responsible and high-impact solutions to Kyle."


It was Sellers’s "energy and enthusiasm," that seemed to impress the council, particularly Webster, who repeated those words a number of times when speaking about the choice.


"We had really good candidates and in the end the consensus was that Scott will be the best fit," Mayor Webster said. "He will bring a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm to the city and he’s really creative, a really innovative guy. I’m excited about the opportunity to bring him here."


Webster said it wasn’t any one thing Sellers told the council during his interview Saturday afternoon that sealed the deal.


"He sees a lot of potential in Kyle," the mayor said. "With Scott it was the energy and enthusiasm and just the excitement. He’s done some really innovative things in Kilgore’s historic downtown areas. He’s done some creative things to bring efficiencies to Kilgore’s government. He’s had a surprising amount of experience and a lot of variety."


Before assuming the Kilgore city manager’s post in October 2011, Sellers was assistant city manager from August 2008 to June 2010 and acting city manager from June 2010 to October 2011 of Montrose, Colo.(pop. 13,500), a community that derives 50 percent of its budget from tourism. Prior to that he was the assistant city manager of Centralia, Ill. (pop. 13,000). He holds a bachelors degree in recreation management and a Master of Public Administration, both from BYU. He is fluent in Spanish, which could be important in a city with a population that’s more than 50 percent Hispanic.


According to Webster, Sellers’ salary and official start date have yet to be determined. He will succeed Lanny Lambert who resigned last month to become the city manager of Converse, Texas.


The mayor said one of the Sellers’ accomplishments that really stood out for him was "He put a great deal of emphasis on quality of life in Kilgore and bringing amenities to the community, especially their old town. When he spoke about his staff and how he felt about the community, he talked about them as if they were family. That resonated with me.


"He also has a lot of background and training in economic development. He is the right choice for where we’re at right now."


In somewhat of a backhanded slap to Lambert, Webster said he was particularly proud of the city’s staff and its accomplishments during its time under the leadership of acting city manager James Earp.


"The staff came together and worked really, really hard," Webster said. "They deserve a lot of credit. I think we got more done in the last three or four months than we have in the last three years."


Initially, more than 50 individuals applied for the Kyle city manager position. That number was whittled to five, who were interviewed by the council Saturday. The final decision came to a choice between two of those who really stood out for the position, Webster said, although, out of deference to the other candidates, he did not want to say who the other choice was.


"They were similar in that both thought they would be successful in different ways," the mayor said. "In the end it came down to which direction do we want the city to go and at what pace and that drove the decision.


"I think we’ve made an excellent choice and (Sellers) is going to surprise some people with the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the city. I’m sure the staff will embrace him and we’ll get a lot done."


In other action Tuesday the city council:




Approved extending drinking hours
The item was pulled from the consent agenda because council member Tammy Swaton realized between the first reading of the ordinance two weeks ago and Tuesday evening she had a conflict of interest. (James Rios, who brought the item before the city council, is also her son’s football coach). She recused herself from the discussion and the vote. Mayor Webster told me after the meeting he thought at that moment the motion would fail on a 3-3 vote, but it passed handily with only council member Becky Selbera, the lone council member to vote against two weeks ago, to say nay again this time around. "I don’t want to turn downtown Kyle into another sixth street or South Congress," she said in reference to two areas of Austin. The ordinance, which goes into effect today, allows any establishment within the city limits that serves mixed drinks to apply to the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission to obtain a late night permit that would allow it to serve those beverages between midnight and 2 a.m. seven days a week.


Although Selbera said she was concerned that young people might be endangered by the extended drinking hours, Hays High School student James Collins, vice chair of the city’s Youth Advisory Council (KAYAC), said the council favored the proposal because a midnight curfew meant teenagers should be off the streets when the bars close.


Webster told the council that two businesses ultimately decided to locate in Kyle because of the extended hours and that consultants hired to sell the city to prospective businesses "were adament" that it would make their jobs easier. "This isn’t the only thing we can do to make Kyle more attractive to restaurants, but it’s a step in the right direction," Webster said.




Discussed FM 150 realignment
Mayor Webster said he wanted to put all four options for the realignment before the council at some future, unspecified, date. "We’re gonna talk about each one of the options and the impact they will have on the city. First I need time for the school district to respond to my offer to sit down and talk about this because the option that’s most logical for the city is the one that goes between their two schools. Out of respect for them I would like to have the opportunity to sit down and talk with them. I think there’s some lobbying going on with the school board to have them come out with a position that will cost the city of Kyle a lot of money. I want them to be cautious about doing that."




Appointments to P&Z
Unanimously approved Webster’s nominations of Michelle Christie and Tim Kay, both longtime civic activists, to fill the vacancies on the Planning and Zoning Commission.