Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Nederland City Council has appointed a new interim city manager, Cheryl Dowden, during a City Council meeting April 7. The appointment comes a few months after current City Manager Chris Duque announced he would step down after serving 16 years.

Council chambers was filled with constituents attempting to express their concerns about the city manager’s severance package that the city is set to pay him for any left over paid time off. Severance packages are common for city managers but not legally mandated. The amount to be paid out to Duque has not been released as of publications but will be shared once Duque reaches the end of his tenure. 

Both Mayoral candidates, Emmett Hollier and Jeff Darby, along with other public figures, attended the meeting. The room applauded after Dowden was confirmed as interim. 

The search for a new city manager is already underway, with interviews set to begin next week, according to Mayor Don Albanese. The search will likely last 3-4 weeks and a new city manager could be hired after the elections on May 3. 

Dowden served as finance director and assistant city manager for Nederland for over 30 years before retiring in 2024.  

“(Dowden’s) done it before,” Albanese said. “This is not a new job for her. When she was here, she was our number two and she had actually taken over when our city manager was gone on vacation and things like that, so she is capable of doing the job.”

Dowden’s pay rate is set to $90 an hour. Her start date is set for May 5. 

Duque’s last day is set for April 30. The City Council voted 5-0 in favor of placing Dowden as interim.