Bedford mayor says new city manager is ‘the biggest hire this town has ever made’
The pandemic didn’t stop Bedford from hiring a new city manager who will take on economic development projects and other challenges.
The city council voted unanimously Tuesday to hire Jimmy Stathatos, the town manager in Flower Mound who will start on Sept. 14. Stathatos’ salary is $269,750.
Stathatos said the decision to leave Flower Mound was “bittersweet” but added that he is familiar with the Bedford area as he had an internship in Euless during graduate school, and his parents lived in Bedford for a while.
“Meeting the city council was just very energizing. They are all committed to redevelopment, and I love that kind of stuff. I’m very excited to join the team,” Stathatos said.
Mayor Michael Boyter said that Stathatos has the expertise and energy to lead Bedford in economic development initiatives and to take care of the needs of residents.
“It’s really exciting, the thought of him (Stathatos) coming on board. We plucked him away from Flower Mound,” Boyter said.
“In the past, we got candidates who wanted to be city managers, and we were a steppingstone to another city,” he said.
Boyter said one of the key reasons for hiring Stathatos is his experience in transforming cities into “destinations.”
When Stathatos was in Roanoke, he helped change the downtown area and rebrand it as the “unique dining capital of Texas.”
“It’s all about finding that niche; getting everyone to rally around it,” Stathatos said.
“You want to set yourself apart; there are so many cookie cutter areas,” he said.
Stathatos said that when he became Flower Mound’s town manager, there was a morale issue among employees. He worked to create a family atmosphere.
He also focused on economic development, bringing in 6,000 jobs and a billion dollars in commercial development, he said. Some of the projects included Flower Mound’s first movie theater and hotel.
Stathatos, 47, began his public service career in 1994 working for College Station as a purchasing agent while attending Texas A&M. He also worked as assistant to the city manager in Ennis and then was city manager in Roanoke for 15 years. In 2013, Stathatos was named town manager in Flower Mound.
Meanwhile, Boyter said he is looking forward to moving ahead with projects in Bedford, describing the city “at a crossroads.”
Boyter said along with economic development, Bedford is an aging community.
“We’re going to turn things around,” Boyter said. “This (Stathatos) is the biggest hire this town has ever made.”
This story was originally published August 14, 2020 at 12:30 PM.