May the road rise up to meet you, Amanda

For the past four years, Amanda Hill has headed up the small town of Rusk as its City Manager. It was a rocky and sometimes controversially charged tenure as she negotiated the rough waters that often plague city governments. 

During her tenure, she dealt with code enforcement issues and the subsequent lawsuits initiated by a local businessman concerning the Thomas J. Rusk Hotel. She also oversaw additions to the water system and the purchase of new firetrucks and many other projects for the city.
A Colorado native, Hill moved to Texas in 2018, where she worked for the City of Gladewater two years before her hire as successor to Rusk City Manager Jim Dunaway. She begins her new position in Mason, Texas, in early September.
City employees and council members gathered Thursday, Aug. 29, for a luncheon honoring her service, to say goodbye and to wish her well in her new position. Rusk Mayor Ben Middlebrooks hosted a going away party at his ranch on Saturday.  

Bob Goldsberry has been named as Rusk’s interim city manager and according to Middlebrooks, the council now begins the process of finding Hill’s successor.