Four finalists have been named inbrFrisco’s search for its next city manager.
One of the finalists will replacebroutgoing Frisco City Manager George Purefoy, who is set to retire June 30 frombrthe position that he has held since 1987.
Purefoy is the first and only citybrmanager in Frisco’s history.
A national search for his replacement wasbrconducted by Pennsylvania-based Affion Public and closed in March. It producedbra candidate pool that included 55 applicants hailing from 17 states.
The city is “committed to due diligencebras we interview finalists for the first time,” Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney said.
The finalists for the city managerbrposition are Ron Patterson, Frisco’s current deputy city manager; MajedbrAl-Ghafry, assistant city manager for economic development and tourism,brconventions and events for the City of Dallas; Tommy Gonzalez, current City ofbrEl Paso city manager; and Wesley Pierson, city manager for the Town of Addison.br
A tour of the city and interviews withbrFrisco City Council members are among the next steps for the finalists, whobrwill also attend meet-and-greets with City of Frisco department directors asbrwell as community stakeholders representing education, business andbrdevelopment, civic organizations and public-private partnerships, among others.br
“We’ll be looking for a candidate whobrbest aligns with our city’s culture, vision and priorities,” Cheney explained.br“We want someone who can build upon our successes and enhance our strategybrmoving forward.”
Frisco was a much different place whenbrPurefoy first joined the city more than 34 years ago. Its population thenbrnumbered around 5,000 residents. In the ensuing decades, it grew to aroundbr215,000 people.
During his time as city manager, Purefoybrwas considered the lead architect on several public-private partnerships that
ought such high-profile facilities as Rider’s Ballpark, Toyota Stadium, thebrFord Center at The Star and the forthcoming PGA of America campus to Frisco.brThe city’s municipal center bears his name.
