A man who vied along with Ron Burton and another finalist for the permanent role of Port Arthur city manager has joined Burton’s staff.

Former Ellsworth, Kan., city administrator Scott Moore began his duties as one of two Port Arthur assistant city managers. Burton and Moore, along with former Spencer, N.C., town manager Terence Arrington, publicly interviewed before the city council for Burton’s eventual position Nov. 13.

Burton said he has not established a timeline for filling the other assistant role.

Burton first reached out to Moore a week after the interviews and said that it took “quite a bit of convincing” to attract Moore back to city hall — this time to stay.

“I first had to share my goals with him as far as what I was setting out to do with the city and whether we shared the same vision,” Burton said Wednesday. “We spent some time discussing our management styles and some goal-setting. He was able to visit me here, and we sat down and had a few good discussions, and I made the decision that he’s the right person to join our team in order to improve our city.”

Moore had just enough time Wednesday to take a photograph before heading into a meeting with department heads and other staff members. He appeared at Tuesday’s city council meeting but headed into a closed session afterward.

Background

Moore has more than 26 years of experience in civil service, beginning his career in Austin while a student at Texas State University in nearby San Marcos. He was on his second stint as city administrator in Ellsworth before coming to Port Arthur and also has city manager (or similar) experience in larger cities, including Peoria, Ill., and Wichita, Kan., and in smaller Texas towns of Glenn Heights (south of Dallas) and Poteet (south of San Antonio). Moore holds a master’s degree from Wichita State University.

When interviewing for city manager, Moore told the Port Arthur city council he wanted to gain “the confidence and the assurance in the citizens that Port Arthur is a community of choice” while realizing the city is still rebounding from 2017’s Hurricane Harvey.

“You want to regain something that we lost,” Moore said then. “Anywhere in America, you have storms, in Kansas, in Missouri. You have Tornado Alley. But what does a community rebuild if we want to rebuild? What do we do to bring people back home?”

While in Ellsworth, Moore led a $2.2 million renovation of a water treatment plant that was built in 1949 and renovations of city hall and a six-bay fire station, among other projects.

Moore’s duties

Moore is assistant city manager for administration, meaning he supervises department leaders, Burton said. The other assistant will focus on city operations.

“I looked at Scott’s capabilities, and I thought this gentleman brought with him a wealth of information,” he said. “He would be a good part of a team we’re trying to build up here in order to take this city forward.”

An assistant city manager only needs to be hired by Burton, a former assistant in Port Arthur who was elevated to interim city manager last August. The city council confirms the municipal judge, city secretary, city manager and city attorney.

Burton mentioned reviewing cost-effective practices for the taxpayers among chief goals for Moore and other members of his team.

“My goal is that, within a short amount of time, those departments that have been operating in the red get into the black as soon as possible,” he said. “One of the ways to achieve that is to make sure every material brought into the city is being utilized. Accountability is a big key around here. Mr. Moore has a big knowledge base in order to help us achieve that.”

For examples, Burton wants to make sure those who use the city’s landfill are paying their fair share and that the city collects all sales tax revenue. He also is focused on the city’s procurement system for fuel to see whether Port Arthur, as he said, is “getting the best bang for our buck.”

“We’re spending the taxpayers’ money, and we’ve got to be transparent. The resources of the city must be well invested,” Burton added.

Meet-and-greet for Burton

While Moore is the latest hire, the public is invited to a meet-and-greet for Burton from 4-7 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Bob Bowers Civic Center. Light refreshments will be served.