Mayor Chris Cannon and the City Council have selected Thomas L. Mattis as the new City Manager, who comes to the City of Elgin with lengthy experience in local government and deep professional roots in Texas. Mattis has achieved a successful and diversified career as a City Manager over the past 34 years, having served as the chief executive officer for six (6) different municipalities in three different states.
Mattis was the City Manager of Colonial Heights, Virginia, a position he had held since 2010. Colonial Heights is a full-service, independent city located just south of the state capital of Richmond and is home to just over 17,000 residents. It serves as the market center for the Tri-Cities Area (which includes the cities of Petersburg and Hopewell, Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties and U.S. Army Fort Lee).
“Mary Ann and I are very excited about this opportunity to essentially ‘come home’ to Central Texas”, said Mr. Mattis. “We’ve enjoyed our time in Virginia, but are very much looking forward to becoming Elginites and serving the citizens there.”
Mattis began his career as City Manager in Rosebud (Falls County), Texas in 1982. After briefly serving the City of Dallas as a Budget Analyst, Mattis was then appointed City Administrator of Pilot Point (Denton County) in 1985. He was subsequently appointed City Manager in Bonham in 1988, the county seat of Fannin County and home of Sam Rayburn.
In 1991, Mattis was appointed as the Municipal Administrator in Waterville, Ohio; a historic, suburban community located on the banks of the Maumee River just outside of Toledo. Mattis served in that position for ten years, having achieved the longest tenure of any CEO serving the Village in the 65-year history of the position.
Most pertinent to the City of Elgin, however, is Mattis’ service as the first City Manager in the history of the City of Kyle, Texas from 2002 through 2010. Located in Hays County on the I-35 corridor, Kyle grew from just over 5,000 to an estimated 28,000 residents during his tenure. Challenges were almost endless, as Mattis led the successful development of a responsive and high-functioning organization, while simultaneously guiding the city’s rapid evolution from small rural town to full-service city. Mattis was part of the leadership team that initiated essentially all major commercial and residential developments that are thriving in Kyle today, including the Seton-Hays Hospital.
Mattis is a graduate of Bowling Green State University in his native Ohio, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1980. He and his wife Mary Ann (a Dallas native) have one daughter, Lillian, who is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and one son, Alex, who is a graduate of the University of North Texas in Denton. Both are residents of Austin
Mattis started his position as City Manager September 12th. Mattis and his wife look forward to relocating to Elgin as soon as they can secure a new home.