SALADO, Texas (KXXV) — The Village of Salado now has a new city manager. Uryan Nelson, the interim city manager, was hired to help guide council members in addressing the needs of residents, and with elections in hopes of electing a new mayor and city secretary.
- The Village of Salado currently has no mayor or city secretary.
- Uryan Nelson, interim city manager, will help guide the city in looking for new city leaders and help gain the trust of residents.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"I don't think we need a mayor, I don't think we need a city manager. I think our alderman can give it back to the people," said TJ Jones, owner of TJ Associates.
It's been a rough 18 months for the people of the Village of Salado in southern Bell County.
Currently, there is no mayor, village secretary, or village attorney...and now there's a new interim city manager, following the firing of Village Administrator Manuel de la Rosa on January 23rd.
"You have a business, you should want to come into Salado, Texas. You should want to be on Main Street," said Jones.
TJ Jones, owner of TJ and Associates, said the local leadership uncertainty is impacting some people's bottom lines.
"You do not deserve to have fake bond, to have rumors, speculation, and to have people coming at you and trying to shake you down for money," said Jones.
Our Chantale Belefanti stopped by a local coffee shop, The Strawberry Patch, and sat down with longtime business owner James Ruesch.
He said the city lacked good advice from the previous mayor and administrator, so expectations are high for their replacements.
"Kinda set us on the right path so we can make good decisions, move forward, and most of the people that come in here for coffee in the morning, they feel pretty confident in the direction we're going. It's a breath of fresh air, an opportunity, not a fallback," said James Ruesch, owner of the Strawberry Patch.
The person tasked with dealing with a variety of community concerns is Interim City Manager, Uryan Nelson.
"I want to make sure that the board can make those sound decisions for the village, and with the elections coming up, it's vital to have the full board of aldermen and mayor lead the city," said Village of Salado Interim City Manager, Uryan Nelson.
Nelson said he understands some community trust is broken -- and wants to help rebuild that trust as best as he can.
"I intend to have communication with people as they come in and share those concerns with the board..I encourage people to attend the board workshops," said Nelson.
