After a week of not knowing, the Brady City Council ended the public suspense Tuesday night when it named James Stewart as the next Brady City Manager.
Currently the editor of the Brady Standard Herald newspaper. During his 25-years in Brady, Stewart had also served as Mayor of Brady and as a member of the City Council.
The selection of Stewart as the new City Manager followed a process in which the Council had reviewed a number of resumes submitted by prospective candidates, followed by a day of zoom meetings with six candidates on Feb. 1st. At their regular meeting last week, the Council spent about five hours in an Executive Session interviewing a candidate before voting to make that person the finalist. However, the identity of the person selected was not announced at that time.
The decision was formally announced Tuesday evening after a 4-0 vote by the Council and approval of Stewart’s formal contract. The council indicated Stewart will assume the role and work with the interim City Manager to integrate into the new position full-time.
A resident of Brady since 1997, Stewart has been the publisher and editor of the Brady Standard-Herald for more than 25 years. According to the announcement by the City, Stewart indicated he has relinquished his position at the newspaper effective immediately and will transition to working full-time for the City.
Responding to the announcement, Stewart said, “I am honored to be chosen to serve as Brady’s City Manager and look forward to collaborating with city staff, officials, and residents to build on the city’s successes and address future opportunities. I am committed to earning the support and trust not only of the council and staff but of the community as well.”
