Tyler City Manager Receives Outstanding Performance Evaluation

TYLER — After meeting in executive session Wednesday morning to discuss the performance of City Manager Mark McDaniel, the Tyler City Council voted unanimously to rate his performance as outstanding. “We are blessed to have the City leadership that we have,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “We know it takes great leadership at the top to achieve what we have and we don’t take it for granted. There is no one in the state who could have done better.”

McDaniel began his tenure as city manager on Jan. 1, 2009 after serving as city manager designate for 10 months and as deputy city manager for four years. He has more than 25 years of municipal management experience, a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Texas, and has completed the Senior Executive in Local Government Program at Harvard University. “Mark gets along with the council, keeps us involved and makes our jobs easy,” added City Councilman Mark Whatley. “We think he’s exceptional and we want to compensate him accordingly.”

The Council increased McDaniel’s salary to $205,000 with an $8,000 a year car allowance. His current salary is $195,000 annually with a $7,000 car allowance. A recent salary survey, done for Texas cities with populations of between 75,000 and 100,000, indicated an average annual salary of $198,452 for city managers.

Several councilmembers commented on the tough economic times the City has faced in the last five years and the impact that McDaniel’s leadership has had. “The true measure of a leader is when times are tough and how you respond,” said Council Member Martin Heines. “When sales tax revenues declined during the recent economic crisis, the City manager stood up and cut spending. Tyler didn’t rely on its reserve funds or raise taxes. To be part of a government that does that is wonderful.” Councilmember Darryl BOwdre added, “Mark McDaniel was at the helm when things got difficult with the economy. He is a great leader; I love his management style and it is reflected in the way the City staff responds.”

According to a city news release, key organizational successes in the last year under his leadership include:

* The City’s AAA bond rating was reaffirmed by Standard and Poor’s;
* Executed a 380 grant agreement for 700,000 square feet of new retail space and a land donation to the City for a new conference center and hotel;
* Initiated the design of a new South Tyler Police Substation after evaluating costs versus benefits via a lean Six Sigma black belt project;
* Completed more than 80 Lean Six Sigma projects and achieved more than $4 million in hard and soft savings since the program’s inception;
* Commenced construction of the Downtown Fair Plaza parking garage;
* Secured all right of way for West Cumberland, with construction scheduled in 2014;
* In partnership with the Northeast Texas Public Health District, opened a new clinic at Gentry Parkway and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard;
* Received the Texas Award for performance Excellence at the Engagement Level;
* Received the Texas Municipal League’s Municipal Excellence Award for Management Innovation for City University; and,
* Conducted the first ever employee survey and launched multiple engagement after-action plans in response to employee feedback.

“We’ve seen tough times – what I love about Mark is that when things are lean, he gets efficient, like with Lean Six Sigma,” said Councilmember Sam Mezayek. “Typically cities are bureaucratic, but that’s not the case in Tyler. I really admire his leadership.” Councilmember Ed Moore added, “He’s been helpful to me and I appreciate his concern for the people in the community. “We want him to stay working here, living here and eventually to retire here.”