The two internal candidates and two external candidates all have extensive experience in midsized Texas cities.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with names and information on the candidates.
Two top city of Waco staffers and two candidates with experience in midsized Texas cities have been chosen as finalists to replace City Manager Bradley Ford.
Waco Deputy City Manager Deidra Emerson and Assistant City Manager Ryan Holt are among the finalists who will meet with the Waco City Council this week.
Also on the list are Jared Miller, chief operating officer for the Texas Division of Emergency Management and former Amarillo city manager; and Helen Ramirez, who has been city manager in Brownsville since 2023.
The council could make an announcement for the top executive position as early as its Jan. 20 regular meeting, city staffers said.
Emerson joined Waco’s management team in 2015 after municipal experience in Fort Worth. She has been deputy city manager since 2020.
Emerson has worked in numerous city management roles for more than 30 years, following in the footsteps of her father, who served as director for Fort Worth’s Parks and Recreation Department.
Holt has been assistant city manager since 2020 after serving in the Waco Police Department since 1996, including three years as police chief.
He had a wide-ranging career with Waco PD, including postings at every division within the department, from public communications to the city’s SWAT team.
Before taking his state role, Miller served as city manager in Amarillo from 2017 to 2023 and in San Marcos from 2014 to 2017. He also had leadership roles in Snyder and North Richland Hills.
Miller’s time in Amarillo ended when he and the Amarillo City Council agreed to mutually terminate his contract, the Amarillo Globe-News reported in 2023. The council said the termination was not due to performance, but to the diverging visions of the council and Miller.
In June, Miller was listed as a finalist for the city manager role in Elgin.
Ramirez served as Brownsville city manager from 2023 until late December. She was the city’s first female city manager in the city’s history. She previously served Brownsville as interim city manager and deputy city manager and as an economic development executive.
Her tenure in Brownsville was “widely regarded as one of the most impactful in the city’s modern era,” according to a December statement by the city of Brownsville regarding Ramirez’s resignation. She cited the impact of medical circumstances on family time as the reason for her departure in October.
Ramirez rose through the ranks of Hutto’s city government, a small city northeast of Austin, before arriving in Brownsville. She had a decade-long career in urban planning and international business development prior to city government work.
A news release Monday from the city of Waco states that the candidates will tour Waco and meet with community leaders starting Tuesday. The council is posted to interview candidates Thursday in closed session. The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Waco Convention Center’s Bosque Theater.
“Waco is a city with strong momentum, and selecting our next City Manager is one of the most important decisions this Council will make,” said Mayor Jim Holmes in the Monday news release. “We are fortunate to have an exceptional slate of finalists, each bringing proven leadership experience and a commitment to public service. We look forward to engaging with the finalists and selecting a leader who will build on our progress.”
Ford announced in October that he will step down effective Feb. 28, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. The council in November hired a firm to do a nationwide search for the position.
Ford came to Waco in 2017 to be assistant city manager after municipal positions in Burleson and Fort Worth. He was promoted in 2020 to succeed City Manager Wiley Stem.
Ford told the Bridge in October that he enjoyed the support of the council, and he hopes to remain in Waco after his term ends.
