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The city of Fort Worth is poised to hire Jay Chapa as city manager, pending a vote of approval by the City Council on Tuesday.
Jay Chapa
The city announced through a press release late Thursday that Chapa is the lone finalist to replace the retiring David Cooke, who is leaving at the start of the new year.
The decision marks a return for Chapa, who retired from the city after 25 years in the City Manager’s office. He left the city in 2022 as a deputy city manager.
If approved, Chapa will make history as Fort Worth’s first Hispanic city manager.
“Jay is a man of brilliant creative thinking, has led most of the public-private partnership efforts in the city over the past 10 years, and has an unmatched ability to hit the ground running,” said Mayor Mattie Parker in a statement.
“His proven financial stewardship has and will continue to set the nation’s 12th largest city up for success far into the future.”
Cooke announced his retirement in July after 10 years on the job.
The city manager manages the daily operations of the city government, oversees the budget, and implements the policies approved by the City Council.
At least one council member appears to be planning a no vote on Chapa’s hire.
In a story published by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in the hours leading up to the city’s announcement, Councilman Chris Nettles, who represents District 8, called the process to hire Chapa “baked and unfair.”
He accused his fellow council members of orchestrating a process designed to favor their chosen candidate, adding that the process should have been open to more public scrutiny.
“We did it for the chief of police. We did it for heads of other departments. Why not city manager?” Nettles said to the Star-Telegram.
Jared Williams, who represents District 6, agreed with Nettles’ concerns about the process, calling it a “sudden rush to finalize the decision.”
Williams promised to “share more thoughts on this matter soon,” according to the Star-Telegram.
Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens of District 5, the longest serving member of the City Council, is an emphatic “yes” to Chapa’s pending appointment, saying of Nettles’ criticism that “not everyone comes to the table with experience hiring C-suite talent,” according to the Star-Telegram, which paraphrased her remarks.
The city conducted a national search that led to more than 150 applicants, according to a press release. Fourteen vetted candidates were presented to the City Council. Five semifinalists were selected to be interviewed in December.
The city manager position is one of four Council-appointed positions, along with the city attorney, city secretary and city auditor.
“Jay is one of the most qualified city managers in the country — and we are the lucky ones because Jay already calls Fort Worth home,” Parker said.
City officials called Chapa a “visionary leader” with private sector experience and a commitment to innovation that “have made a lasting impact across Fort Worth, where he has spent decades championing progress and building strong neighborhood and community relationships.”
Chapa served in a variety of roles during his previous tenure with the city, including overseeing economic development, police, transportation and public works, finance, and public events and tourism.
Initiatives he played significant roles in include high-profile projects such as redevelopment of the Medical District, the Stockyards development, Renaissance Square, Clearfork, the expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center, and Texas A&M-Fort Worth.
Chapa also led the city’s 2022 Bond Program development, adoption by the City Council, and ultimately approval by voters. Other notable achievements include:
- Working with Fort Worth Police Department leadership, Chapa led efforts to right-size the department’s budget to allow alignment with citywide initiatives. He developed a five-year strategic facilities plan for FWPD.
- During his time in the Housing and Economic Development Department, Chapa led efforts to regain U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development trust in Fort Worth’s federal programs.
- He led city efforts on renewal of the Crime Control & Prevention District.
- Chapa developed and improved economic development incentive policies, including the Tax Abatement Policy, Economic Development Grants Policy, Relocation Incentive Policy and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Policy.
- Chapa led efforts to land the relocation of corporate projects that have produced or will produce more than 8,000 jobs in a three-year period.
- Chapa is recognized for his collaborative leadership style and ability to bring diverse voices to the table. From HOA neighborhood meetings to civic gatherings to business boardrooms, Chapa is known for finding solutions while being mindful of the city’s taxpayers.
Since leaving the city Chapa has worked as a consultant through his eponymous J Chapa Strategic Solutions, providing strategic advisory services to local governments, public agencies, development entities and businesses seeking assistance with economic development or project coordination.
Chapa earned a bachelor’s in history and political science from Texas Tech University and a Master of Public Administration from University of North Texas. Chapa serves on the Board of Advisors to Texas Tech’s Rawls School of Business.
“I have known Jay for nearly 20 years, and I am confident that Jay has the unique ability to understand each community within our city,” Bivens said in a statement. “He has my full support, and I can’t wait to work with him again.”