San Antonio City Council has tabbed Erik Walsh, a San Antonio native and a 24 year employee of the City, to succeed Sheryl Sculley as the next City Manager, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Technically, Erik Walsh, 49, is the 'sole finalist' for the Manager's job. He will spend the next two weeks meeting with citizens and community and neighborhood groups, and is expected to be formally hired to succeed the retiring Sculley on January 31st.
“Erik has advanced from budget analyst to Deputy City Manager during his 24 years with the city, demonstrating strong leadership abilities and a collaborative spirit while rising through the ranks,” Mayor Nirenberg said. “His skill and experience overseeing crucial public safety departments will enable him to serve San Antonio well.”
Walsh is a graduate of Central Catholic and Trinity University, and he joined the city as a budget analyst. He was promoted to Assistant City Manager in 2006, and to Deputy City Manager in 2011.
Under Sculley's management plan, deputy city managers oversee different parts of the city government. Walsh's position is supervising the Fire Department and the Police Department, two essential city services, was seen as a main factor in his promotion.
In fact, shortly after Sculley announced her retirement in late November, several City Hall insiders told 1200 WOAI news that Walsh was the most likely candidate to succeed her.
Walsh is married, and he and his wife Sandra have two kids.
It was clear from the outset that Nirenberg and City Council favored hiring Sculley's successor from among the local officials she has mentored during her 13 years as City Manager. When the eight finalists for the job were announced last week, six were either deputy or assistant San Antonio city managers, and a seventh was a former San Antonio Public Works Director who is now Deputy City Manager in Dallas.
Walsh's salary has not been announced, but he will be paid according to the terms of the 2018 charter change, which limits the manager's pay to ten times the lowest paid full time City employee, or roughly $290,000 a year. According to public records, Walsh is currently the third highest paid San Antonio city employee, behind Sculley and City Attorney Andy Segovia, at $235,000 a year.
And, City Council might want to mark its calendar for 2027, because under the charter amendment, the new City Manager can hold that office for a maximum of eight years.
PHOTO: CITY OF SAN ANTONIO