- Darren Gore has served as an assistant manager since August 2018
- Sam Huddleston accepted promotion to be an assistant city manager January 2023
- Murfreesboro City Council member Shawn Wright says the local government has strong talent to promote for city manager job to avoid taxpayer costs to hire an executive search firm
- The chosen applicant will replace City Manager Craig Tindall, who's requested taking a different role with the government as a special counsel attorney starting July 2
- Unlike Murfreesboro's elected city officials, the Smyrna Town Council expects to spend about $25,000 on an executive search firm to find applicants to replace retired Town Manager Brian Hercules
The Murfreesboro City Council soon will interview staff seeking to replace City Manager Craig Tindall after he takes different position.
Sixth-year Assistant City Manager Darren Gore and second-year Assistant City Manager Sam Huddleston are good applicants to interview during a meeting that starts at 9 a.m. May 10 at Murfreesboro Airport Business Center, council member Shawn Wright said.
"If we can hire from within with the strong talent that we have, we’d like to save the tax payers the expense of using a national search firm," said Wright, adding that Gore and Huddleston are the only two to apply for the city manager job.
Unlike the elected Murfreesboro officials, the Smyrna Town Council expects to spend about $25,000 on using an executive search firm to pursue applicants to replace recently retired Town Manager Brian Hercules.
In addition to the pending interviews with the council, Gore and Huddleston will speak with the other members of the city's upper management team, and the assessments from the managers will be shared with the elected officials, Wright said.
Murfreesboro spokesman Mike Browning confirmed that Gore and Huddleston are the two applicants for the city manager job.
Both applicants also are experienced engineers.
Gore accepted his assistant city manager job August 2018. This position included oversight of Murfreesboro solid waste services and plans. Gore led the city's efforts to establish trash hauling fees to help fund costs. He's also led solid waste plans to build a transfer station and waste-to-energy operation in a warehouse through a partnership with WastAway on the Butler Drive. Gore also has served as a director of the city's water and sewer services since 2012 after being promoted from being the assistant director for the Water Resources Department starting in 2005. Prior to joining the government, Gore had engineering experience with Dupont and Company, and as an engineering design consultant with Wiser Companyand Nelson and Company.
Huddleston accepted his assistant city manager job January 2023 to oversee engineering and economic development. He has worked with the city since 1988 in the Building and Codes Department. His experience includes serving as an environmental engineer and overseeing the city's plans to daylight the underground Town Creek into a downtown area park with walking trails near the southwest corner of Broad and Church Streets. Huddleston in 2017 also led staff efforts to advise the Murfreesboro Planning Commission in adopting the city's 2040 Major Thoroughfare Plan that includes building three overpass bridges of Interstate 24. He also served as the city's executive director of Development Services for over four years starting July 2018.
Wright described Gore and Huddleston as being "well qualified' good applicants with a lot of experience in the city manager's office to replace their boss. Tindall recently requested moving into a special counsel attorney role for the city starting July 2. His pending role will involve providing legal services for Murfreesboro Airport, the Community Investment Trust, the Solid Waste Authority and Sports Authority, Browning said in a press release.
Tindall previously served as the city attorney for over two years until accepting promotion in 2018 to be the city manager. He took the city manager job after the council rejected applicants recommended through a national executive search firm. Tindall will continue to oversee the city's efforts to craft the next government budget for the council to consider for the fiscal year budget that starts July 1.
The city manager earns an annual salary of $239,044.
UPDATE:Murfreesboro City Manager Tindall to leave current position, move into new spot
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Murfreesboro city manager interviews
- When: 9 a.m. May 10
- Where: Murfreesboro Airport Business Center
- Who are applicants: Sixth-year Assistant City Manager Darren Gore and second-year Assistant City Manager Sam Huddleston
- Who do they seek to replace: City Manager Craig Tindall, who plans to take a special counsel attorney role for government starting July 2
Sources: Murfreesboro City Council member Shawn Wright and government spokesman Mike Browning
