Amarillo City Council pursuing Grayson Path as next city manager

During a special meeting on Wednesday, the Amarillo City Council decided to pursue Grayson Path as the next city manager. Path is currently the city manager of Paris, Texas.

“It’s not a done deal until a contract is signed,” Path said early today explaining that negotiations are now underway with the search firm. “I am their candidate of choice to begin negotiations with. I have told the council and the staff and am optimistic about the outcome.”

Amarillo City Council members cited Path’s success in moving Paris forward with the renovation of the wastewater treatment plant, initiating private trash collection and implementing the move to end the fire department’s underfunded pension plan along with other initiatives. 

Mayor Cole Stanley said it was Path’s candidness and problem-solving approach that ultimately stood out.

““Who’s the guy who’s most eager to get in this fight that we have for a wastewater treatment plant? You’re talking a $300 million problem that’s been 20 years in the making and we’re asking you to literally show up here and help us clean up this mess.”

Stanley also noted Path’s track record in problem-solving.

“If you look at some of the problems even in Paris, they had problems with trash, we have problems with trash,” Stanley said. “You know, they have problems with an underfunded pension plan with their fire department and he was able to solve that problem and get the community to buy into it."

The position for city manager has been vacant for almost a year. 

“When you don’t have a permanent leader in place, it’s kind of hard to think longer term,” said Les Simpson, city council place 4. “And so I think what this will help us to do is not only the budgeting and other things that we’re looking at, problems that we’re trying to solve, it’s being able to take a longer term approach with the leader that’s going to be here permanently for the long haul.”

Simpson also praised Path’s track record in problem-solving, particularly in his previous role in Paris, Texas.

“If you look at some of the problems even in Paris, they had problems with trash, we have problems with trash. You know, they have problems with a underfunded pension plan with their fire department and he was able to solve that problem and get the community to buy into it,” said Simpson.

Bio provided by the City of Amarillo:

Since April of 2020, Grayson Path has served as Paris, TX City Manager. Prior to this position, Grayson was the City Administrator of Nebraska City, NE. He received a Master of Public Administration degree from Arkansas State University and has worked for three great communities as Chief Executive Officer.

His career includes working on hundreds of millions of dollars in capital improvement projects, including roadways, facilities, treatment plants and utilities. Additionally, he has been responsible for the development and implementation of significantly sized budgets, tackled important community plans such as Comprehensive Development Plans, Revitalization Plans, Housing assessments, Economic Development Programs and City Council Strategic Plans and has led a wide array of departments such as emergency-based Police, Fire, and EMS, to infrastructure-based Public Works, Utilities, and Engineering, to operation and community-based Finance, Library, Parks and Community Development. His proudest accomplishments are the partnerships formed among many entities within the communities served and the outstanding teams of city workers that he has had the privilege to develop and supervise. Grayson understands the importance of empowering staff, thorough communication at all levels, and giving his employer (the city council) the information they need to make informed decisions as they lead the community.

Grayson enjoys building coalitions and working with caring and industrious people within the communities he serves. According to Path, those individuals, and the mentors in his life, have helped mold him into the honest, hardworking, open-minded, quick learning, determined, experienced, and strong-willed man he has become. “I would like nothing more than to have the opportunity to continue working with such people in Amarillo and to serve them with the skills I have learned and experience I have gained.”

Grayson, and his wife, Katie, have two young children.