What if two cities were managed as one?

Les Minor, Gazette Columnist

The Texas-side council, of course, has forgone the traditional approach for identifying its next city manager. They have mostly ignored the pool of candidates who have cut their teeth on the municipal side of government and instead focused attention on a successful school system superintendent, Larry Sullivan, who runs his district more like a corporation than a public entity.

If the deal can be consummated, it will test the premise that good leadership and management skills transcend a specific culture—which most people believe is true anyway—it just doesn’t happen all that often between an education entity and the government in the same city.

But let’s take this idea one step further and put a Texarkana twist to it. After all, this is a unique time in Texarkana.

There are currently no city managers on either side of town. The Arkansas-side manager resigned for other pastures. The Texas-side manager resigned under pressure.

There is only one police chief in place right now, veteran Bob Harrison on the Arkansas side. The Texas side has been chiefless for months and will remain so until a new city manager is hired and can determine how he wants to address that situation.

So currently, only one of the four top positions in the cities is filled.

Isn’t this the perfect time to rekindle consideration for a super city manager—one executive to run both sides of town? And while we are at it, why not consider a super police chief—again, one executive officer to manage departments on both sides of the city.

Of course, talk of super-sizing these positions has been around for years. It just never gets beyond talk.

But if you want to talk real innovation, super dupering our city would be about as revolutionary as you could get. Instead of being a divided city, we can show how through creative thinking and leadership the divide could be bridged and the economy of scale could be harnessed to everyone’s advantage.

And this is the perfect time to do it; there is nobody in place to offend, because there is nobody in place. Nobody would get his feelings hurt.

Instead of searching for the new Texas-side city manager, we should be searching for the next citywide city manager.

The Arkansas side probably wouldn’t be fond of the choice if it happens to be the candidate the Texas side is leaning toward. (They would see it as a continuation of the Texas-side bent they have seen in other joint ventures.)

But that could be mitigated by appointing Harrison as super city police chief. He’s in place. He’s well-respected. He could create the blueprint for the one-of-a-kind office. It could be his legacy. And he is from the Arkansas side of town.

The fire departments, currently with separate chiefs, would stay that way for the time being. But when one of the chiefs steps down or is removed from office, a consolidation plan should be activated.

Eventually, all key departments are merged. Because these departments are larger, the city, now representing both sides, can afford to pay more for the positions and thus can attract better candidates.

Texarkana could then be known for its superfunctionality instead of its dysfunctionality.

Think of all the great headlines that would be generated nationally. We could erase years of nonsense.

It would not be an easy thing to do, some laws would probably have to be rewritten and some conventional ways of thinking would have to be abandoned. But it could be done.

And if it were to be done, this would be the perfect time to do it. Somebody just needs to take the lead and ask “Why not?”