Minneapolis Candidate Tapped As New Austin City Manager

AUSTIN, TX — Members of the Austin City Council on Tuesday selected Spencer Cronk, a Minneapolis city coordinator, as the new city manager.

Council members emerged from a closed-door special council meeting at City Hall to announce their decision. The city manager's slot in Austin has been vacant since Marc Ott took a job in Washington, D.C. more than a year ago.

But Cronk's new job is not yet a foregone conclusion. Contract negotiations will now commence with Cronk before final approval. Still, Cronk emerged as the selected candidate among a robust panel of contenders, including fellow finalist Howard Lazarus of Ann Arbor, Mich., who previously served as public works director for the City of Austin.

As Austin city manager, Cronk would oversee more than five dozen municipal departments in one of the nation's fastest-growing cities. According to Cronk's LinkedIn account, he is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Since August 2014, Cronk has served as city coordinator for the city of Minneapolis. Before that, from February 2011 to August 2014, he was a commissioner in the department of administration for the state of Minnesota where he was tasked with overseeing and managing the administrative functions of other executive branch state agencies, reporting directly to the governor.

From July 2006 to August 2009, Cronk worked at the NYC Department of Small Business Services in New York City as executive director and senior adviser. In that role, he led efforts to increase the effectiveness and viability of a municipal agency with 300 employees and a budget of $200 million.

"Austin is fortunate to have Spencer Cronk as our city's next CEO," Austin Mayor Steve Adler tweeted after the selection was made. "He's excels at bringing people together to address tough community challenges. He's a proven manager who gets Austin's special spirit and soul because it's within him, too."

For his part, Cronk said he was looking forward to "digging into" his new charge, with plans to meet with residents and others while making his transition from Minnesota to Texas.

" I am honored to have been selected by the mayor and city council to serve as the next city manager of Austin," Cronk wrote. "I look forward to digging into the new job, meeting with city staff, resident and community members in the coming weeks and months as I make the transition from Minneapolis. Austin's future is bright and I believe that by working together, we can build on the city's strengths to be more inclusive and innovative so everyone has the opportunity to succeed."

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