EL PASO, TX – The City of El Paso unveiled the four applicants who remain in the race to be the next City Manager, noting that they are highly qualified profiles.
“We are pleased to announce that the City Council has selected four exceptional finalists for the City Manager position, each of whom brings a wealth of experience and dedication to El Paso,” said Mayor Oscar Leeser.
The four candidates bested more than 80 qualified applicants from across the country in a rigorous selection process, the City Council detailed.
“Their inclusion underscores the strength of our internal talent pool, reflecting our commitment to fostering leadership from within from those who know and love El Paso. As we move forward in this critical process, we look forward to engaging our community in selecting the person who will lead us into the future, ensuring that our city continues to thrive,” Leeser added.
The four applicants include Robert Cortinas, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Director of Internal Services; Mario D’Agostino, Deputy Director of Citizen Safety; Nicole Ferrini, Director of Community and Human Development; as well as Dionne Mack, Deputy Director of City Quality of Life.
In March 2024, the City opened a national search, which included an opportunity for local leadership to apply. The City selected national recruiting firm, Baker Tilly, to conduct a comprehensive search that resulted in a pool of more than 80 candidates.
As part of the process – in order to identify the essential characteristics for the city’s next City Manager – Baker Tilly hosted two community meetings, launched a bilingual online community survey and conducted feedback sessions with the mayor, council and key stakeholders.
The mayor and council reviewed 14 semi-finalists who were selected based on community criteria, and each council member submitted their top four candidates and one alternate. Based on the Mayor and Council’s independent responses, the top four candidates (in no order) were identified as finalists.
The next step will be to hold the interview process on August 7-8, 2024, which will include several interview panels and a public reception.
Both the Mayor and City Council will interview the candidates and there will be two nine-member community panels appointed by the Council.
One panel will be the Citizen Advisory Committee, whose focus will be the candidate’s public perception, transparency and vision for the betterment of the community.
While the other panel will be the Leadership Panel, which should have the commitment to the community, responsiveness to public needs and ability to establish strong relationships with the community.
The city will also host a community meeting from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 7, 2024 at the El Paso Convention Center.
