The City of Frisco announced May 23 that Wes Pierson has been named its new city manager.
Pierson, who currently serves as city manager of the Town of Addison, was selected following a nationwide search to replace George Purefoy, who is retiring June 30 after serving 34 years as Frisco’s first and only city manager.
“I’m thrilled and honored to join an amazing team,” Pierson said in a statement. “I’m going to start by being focused on learning from our people and understanding how our culture works. Frisco is already extremely well managed. But I’m prepared to provide a new perspective and balance it with the city’s strong foundation to then prepare Frisco for its future as a world-class city.”
Pierson, who has upward of 13 years of city management experience, formerly served the cities of Corpus Christi and Allen. He has been city manager of the Town of Addison for seven years and was selected for the Frisco position following a nationwide search that boasted a candidate pool of 55 applicants from 17 states. Four finalists recently toured the city and met with city department directors, community stakeholders and Purefoy before engaging in two rounds of in-person interviews with Frisco City Council members.
Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney said, “We knew this was the biggest decision we would ever make as a council. In fact, we knew it could be one of the most important decisions in the history of Frisco. We promised to find a city manager who aligned with our culture, priorities and vision for the city’s future. … We’re confident and unanimous in our support for Wes Pierson.”
Pierson earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at Brigham Young University and a Master of Public Administration at George Mason University. He holds a certificate in public finance from Texas Tech University, completed the University of Virginia’s Leading Educating and Developing Program, and finished the Public Executive Institute Program at the University of Texas at Austin.
He spent three years as a project manager at the International City/County Management Association in Washington, D.C. More recently, Pierson also helped develop and facilitate the adoption of several long-range strategic plans for economic development, transportation, parks and recreation, trails, open space and streetscape beautification. He also created a comprehensive asset management plan and long-range financial planning model to prioritize investments in infrastructure; led a review of development-related regulations and policies to transition a “growth” community to one of redevelopment and renewal; and achieved AAA bond ratings from both Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s – an elite accomplishment by 11 Texas cities, including Frisco.
Pierson’s contract offer from the City of Frisco includes a base starting salary of $285,000; annual merit increases in line with percentage raises awarded annually to city employees; and a performance bonus not to exceed $12,000 in any fiscal year, among other items.
Frisco Deputy City Manager Henry Hill will act as interim city manager until Pierson steps into his new role on Aug. 2.
