Amarillo appears destined to select another new city manager following the resignation of city manager Grayson Path. The ultimate replacement for Path — assuming they are selected by the end of the year — would mark the fourth permanent city manager to serve Amarillo in the past 11 years.

A little historical context might be helpful as the City Council prepares to replace Path, so here’s a look at the last three permanent city managers Amarillo has had, plus four officeholders who were interim during the searches.

W. Jarrett Atkinson (2010-2015) — Permanent City Manager

Jarrett Atkinson served as city manager for the City of Amarillo for around six years following the retirement of city manager Alan Taylor. Atkinson was a deputy city manager for the City of Amarillo prior to taking over as the permanent city executive.

Atkinson was selected as city manager during the tenure of Mayor Debra McCartt, but ended up serving most of his time as Amarillo’s top government boss under the leadership of Mayor Paul Harpole. Atkinson is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and also holds a master’s in public administration from Texas Tech University. His work experience prior to joining the City of Amarillo included a stint with the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission.

Following the election of a new majority on the City Council that was opposed to the heavy advancement of pro-downtown measures, Atkinson’s leadership as city manager was immediately put under a microscope. Atkinson subsequently resigned as city manager in October 2015.

After leaving Amarillo, Atkinson was selected to become Lubbock city manager in November 2016, a position he still holds to this day.

Terry Childers (2015-2016) — Interim City Manager

Following Atkinson’s resignation, the City Council selected Terry Childers to serve as interim city manager. Childers, an Abilene native, had a long history as a city leader across the region before coming to Amarillo. Most notably, Childers had served as city manager in Oklahoma City, a position that he took at the age of 34.

The selection of Childers drew praise from Atkinson in a media interview, where he said he felt Childers was a capable replacement. Childers subsequently clashed with the media shortly after making it to Amarillo, including over a news story alleging that he called the police when his briefcase went missing.

Childers served as city manager until November 2016, when he unexpectedly resigned. His resignation came after he was caught on a microphone during public comment at a City Council meeting, apparently responding “stupid son of a bitch” to a resident’s statements.

According to his obituary, Childers sadly passed away in 2021 at the age of 68 in Abilene.

Bob Cowell (2016-2017) — Interim City Manager

Bob Cowell was selected to serve as interim city manager following the departure of Childers. Cowell, who served as assistant city manager prior to being named interim, is a graduate of St. Louis University and the University of Tennessee.

Cowell led the city for a period of a few months following Childers’s departure. He was subsequently named a finalist to be Amarillo’s permanent city manager, but was passed over in favor of Jared Miller.

Following the selection of Miller, Cowell was named as a finalist for a few municipal leadership positions across the United States, before ultimately being selected to serve as city manager in Roanoke, Virginia. He’s now serving as the manager of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County in Georgia.

Jared Miller (2017-2023) — Permanent City Manager

Jared Miller came to the City of Amarillo after serving as city manager in San Marcos, Texas. A graduate of Texas Tech University, Miller was selected under Harpole’s administration and subsequently served throughout the entirety of Mayor Ginger Nelson’s tenure.

Miller’s leadership of the City of Amarillo was transformative, as he oversaw many of the downtown development projects being completed and an expansion in enterprise fees in the city. He was also at the center of the controversy surrounding the proposed rebuild of the Amarillo Civic Center Complex that was the subject of Alex Fairly’s successful lawsuit against the City of Amarillo.

Following the election of an entirely new City Council in 2023, Miller was at odds with Mayor Cole Stanley and eventually was fired as city manager. Miller’s termination earned him a $767,000 severance package, thanks to a contract he signed with the City of Amarillo prior to Nelson’s departure as mayor.

Since leaving the City of Amarillo, Miller now serves as chief operating officer for the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Andrew Freeman (2023-2024) — Interim City Manager

Andrew Freeman was named interim city manager for the City of Amarillo in September 2023, following Miller’s termination. Freeman had held a few positions within the City of Amarillo prior to his appointment, including as assistant city manager.

Freeman stepped down from his position as interim city manager in March 2024 after becoming at odds with the Stanley-led City Council over staffing changes and leadership challenges within the Amarillo Police Department.

As of this writing, Freeman is still serving as deputy city manager for the City of Amarillo.

Floyd Hartman (2024) — Interim City Manager

Floyd Hartman was selected to serve as interim city manager following Freeman’stepping down from the position. Hartman had served in various positions within the City of Amarillo over a 20-year period, including a stint as assistant city manager prior to his selection.

Hartman stepped down after the City Council selected Path to serve as permanent city manager. He subsequently retired from the City of Amarillo earlier this year. Hartman is currently serving as interim city manager for Clarendon.

Grayson Path (2024-Present) — Permanent City Manager

Grayson Path was selected by the City Council to serve as the permanent city manager for Amarillo in 2024 after emerging from a nationwide search. Path was serving as city manager in Paris, Texas, at the time of his selection.

Path resigned from his position in late September, and the City Council is expected to accept his resignation during its upcoming meeting.

Please note: A previous version of this article had Childers listed both as an interim and permanent city manager. This error has been corrected.