City Manager | La Marque, Texas PositionCast™
A conversation about leaving your mark on a proud Gulf Coast community
La Marque, Texas is searching for its next City Manager, and this opportunity is about more than filling a position. It is about helping a proud community move into its next chapter with focus, accountability, transparency, and steady leadership.
In this PositionCast™ episode of The Clear Voice, Mayor Keith Bell joined host James Groom, and Clear Career Professionals recruiters Brad Stafford and James Hopper to discuss the City Manager opportunity in La Marque. The conversation offered candidates a direct look at the community, the council’s priorities, the city organization, and the type of leader La Marque needs at this important moment.
Known as the Gateway to the Gulf, La Marque sits in a unique position along the I-45 corridor between Houston and Galveston. The city offers a hometown feel, regional access, economic development potential, and a community identity shaped by hard work, resilience, diversity, and pride.
For the right candidate, this is an opportunity to lead, to serve, and to make a visible impact.
A Community Ready to Get Back on Track
One of the clearest themes from Mayor Bell was that La Marque is ready to get back on track.
That phrase carries real meaning in this recruitment. The next City Manager will be expected to focus on the fundamentals of municipal government: city services, infrastructure, fiscal accountability, public communication, staff leadership, and responsiveness to residents.
Mayor Bell spoke directly about the need for a manager who understands that municipal government exists to serve the community. That includes addressing street conditions, drainage, wastewater infrastructure, financial reporting, staff accountability, and resident concerns in a transparent and practical way.
La Marque is not looking for a passive administrator. The city needs a leader who can assess conditions, set priorities, communicate clearly, and build systems that help the organization deliver services efficiently and effectively.
The Gateway to the Gulf
La Marque’s identity as the Gateway to the Gulf is more than a slogan. The city sits about 10 to 15 minutes from Galveston Island and has significant frontage and visibility along Interstate 45.
That location creates both opportunity and complexity.
La Marque has the feel of a residential community, but it also operates in the path of one of the region’s most important transportation and economic corridors. Residents enjoy access to Galveston, Houston, Texas City, the Clear Lake area, major medical centers, refineries, cruise tourism, regional employment, and Gulf Coast recreation.
The next City Manager will need to understand how to balance that hometown character with the realities of growth, traffic, infrastructure, development, and regional partnerships.
Mayor Bell described La Marque as a hidden gem. It is a place where people can live in a close-knit community while still being connected to major economic, medical, industrial, and recreational assets.
Growth Along the I-45 Corridor
Economic development is a major part of La Marque’s future.
The expansion of the I-45 corridor is opening new opportunities for commercial growth, retail development, job creation, and sales tax generation. Mayor Bell discussed the importance of this growth and the potential it creates for improving services while helping provide tax relief to residents.
One major project discussed during the episode was the Shops at La Marque, described as a significant retail development with big box retailers, more than 200,000 square feet of retail space, and additional opportunities for smaller businesses.
For the next City Manager, economic development will not be an abstract concept. It will require hands-on coordination, relationship building, infrastructure awareness, development management, and communication with residents, council, staff, TxDOT, businesses, and regional partners.
La Marque is growing, and the next City Manager will help determine how well that growth is managed.
The Leadership La Marque Needs
Mayor Bell was clear that the next City Manager does not need to be a technical expert in every municipal discipline. Instead, La Marque needs someone who has demonstrated the ability to manage people.
That is an important distinction.
The city is looking for a leader who can guide department heads, motivate staff, hold people accountable, assess talent, set direction, build trust, and keep the organization focused under pressure.
The next City Manager should be steady, assertive, respectful, and able to lead through criticism and uncertainty. Mayor Bell described the ideal leader as someone with quiet strength, peace of mind, and a vision for the community.
This role requires maturity. It requires communication skills. It requires the ability to listen carefully, process competing concerns, and help people move toward shared goals.
La Marque needs a City Manager who can lead people first.
A Passionate Council and Community
La Marque is a passionate community, and that passion shows up in public life.
Mayor Bell described the community as diverse, energetic, rambunctious, and at times feisty. He also framed that passion as a strength. Residents care deeply about their city, and they expect to be heard.
The next City Manager should be comfortable working in an environment where people express themselves directly. That includes residents, council members, staff, business leaders, and community stakeholders.
This is not a role for someone who avoids tough conversations. It is a role for someone who can listen, explain, respond with facts, and help turn public concern into operational progress.
Brad Stafford noted that what some might call feistiness is also pride and passion. Candidates who understand that distinction will better understand La Marque.
Staff Culture and Organizational Leadership
Mayor Bell spoke highly of the city staff and described them as talented, committed, and deeply connected to the community.
That creates a major opportunity for the next City Manager.
The organization needs a leader who can stabilize, focus, and support staff while also creating accountability and performance expectations. Mayor Bell described the need for a manager who can calm concerns, articulate the vision, reset staff when needed, and help employees stay aligned with the mission of serving the community.
The next City Manager will need to understand that employees bring their whole lives to work. Some are dealing with family responsibilities, financial stress, health issues, and personal challenges. Strong leadership does not ignore those realities. It recognizes them while still helping the team deliver excellent public service.
The right leader will honor the staff, support the staff, and hold the staff accountable.
Fiscal Accountability and Public Trust
Financial transparency was another key theme in the conversation.
Mayor Bell emphasized the importance of accurate financial reports, reliable projections, and clear communication with council and residents. The next City Manager will need to work closely with the finance director and finance team to ensure that the city can explain its financial condition in a way the public can understand.
This matters because trust is built through clarity.
Residents do not have to agree with every decision, but they should be able to understand the information behind those decisions. A strong City Manager will be able to present data, explain tradeoffs, and communicate what the city must do to move forward.
For La Marque, fiscal accountability is not just an internal management issue. It is a public trust issue.
Infrastructure and Service Delivery
The next City Manager should be prepared to focus on core infrastructure and service delivery.
During the episode, Mayor Bell specifically mentioned potholes, drainage ditches, stormwater preparation, wastewater treatment, sewer system performance, and the need for long-term facility planning, including future police department needs.
These are practical issues that residents feel directly.
A successful City Manager in La Marque will need to connect big-picture strategy with everyday service delivery. Economic development matters. Vision matters. Regional relationships matter. But residents also want to see streets improved, drainage addressed, services delivered, and problems solved.
This is where the next City Manager can earn trust quickly.
Regional Relationships Matter
La Marque’s next City Manager will also need to build and strengthen relationships outside city hall.
The episode highlighted several important stakeholder groups, including local school districts, the chamber of commerce, Galveston County, the sheriff’s office, drainage district partners, TxDOT, chemical refineries, the Port of Texas City, railroads, nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, and neighboring communities.
Brad Stafford specifically noted the importance of the relationship with TxDOT because of the I-45 expansion and the impact of major transportation infrastructure on La Marque.
Mayor Bell also explained that La Marque includes portions of multiple school districts, including Texas City ISD, Hitchcock ISD, Santa Fe ISD, and Dickinson ISD. That makes relationship building even more important for a manager who will need to understand the full community landscape.
The City Manager will serve not only as the organization’s chief administrator, but also as an operational ambassador for the city.
What Success Could Look Like
When asked what success would look like after the first year, Mayor Bell gave a practical answer.
Success would mean the staff has been stabilized, the community has been informed, and plans have been executed. It would mean residents understand what the city is doing and why. It would mean visible progress on infrastructure, wastewater treatment, service delivery, and longer-term planning.
That is a clear roadmap for candidates.
La Marque is not looking for someone to simply maintain the status quo. The city is looking for someone who can build systems, improve communication, support staff, strengthen accountability, and produce visible progress.
Advice for Candidates
Clear Career Professionals recruiters Brad Stafford and James Hopper both emphasized the importance of trust building.
Candidates should be prepared to show how they have built relationships in previous communities, developed staff culture, communicated transparently, and led organizations through challenge and change.
This recruitment will likely appeal to leaders who are energized by the opportunity to make an impact. La Marque offers economic development potential, organizational opportunity, infrastructure needs, community pride, and a council that wants to see the city move forward.
The strongest candidates will be able to show not just what they have managed, but how they have led people.
Leave Your Mark on La Marque
Near the end of the episode, Mayor Bell shared the story behind the name La Marque, explaining that it translates as “the mark.”
That idea fits this opportunity well.
The next City Manager will have the chance to leave a mark on a city with pride, potential, and a clear desire to move forward. This is a role for a leader who believes in public service, values community voice, respects staff, communicates with transparency, and understands the importance of getting the basics right.
For municipal leaders who want to make a meaningful difference, La Marque is worth serious consideration.
The city is ready for its next chapter.
The opportunity is to help write it.
Learn more about the La Marque City Manager opportunity and apply
About The Clear Voice Podcast
The Clear Voice is a dedicated platform for transparency and expert led dialogue within the professional and public sectors. The show serves as a vital resource for leaders who want to move past surface level discussions and dive into the real world mechanics of governance, management, and organizational growth. James Groom is the host of the program. As the Vice President of Clear Career Professionals and a retired Police Chief, James brings a unique, high stakes perspective to every conversation. His background in public service and executive leadership allows him to extract practical, actionable insights from industry experts that help modern organizations function with total clarity.
Our Core Focus Areas
Executive Leadership: Exploring the transition from technical competence to high level strategic management.
Organizational Transparency: Discussing the importance of open communication and accountability in public and private leadership.
Governance and Strategy: Breaking down the complex decision making processes that drive successful communities and organizations.
Professional Development: Insights on coaching, culture building, and high performance team management.
About Clear Career Professionals
Clear Career Professionals is a specialized recruitment and strategic consulting firm focused on the public sector. We believe that the strength of any municipality or school district lies in the quality of its leadership and the cohesion of its teams.Our team is comprised of former practitioners and retired executives who understand the nuances of public service. We provide organizations with more than just a list of candidates; we provide the strategic oversight and expertise necessary to navigate transitions, maximize taxpayer funds, and implement long term solutions.
Our Strategic Services
Executive Search and Recruitment: A tailored approach to identifying top tier talent for leadership roles in cities and school districts.
Interim Leadership: Providing experienced professionals to guide organizations through critical periods of transition.
Governance and Board Training: Specialized sessions designed to strengthen board relations and help leadership teams function as a unified School Board or City Council & Executive Team.
Shared Solutions Initiative: A program focused on fostering collaboration between municipalities and schools to address shared community challenges.
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