Shenandoah council appoints Sam Maisel as city administrator, authorizes mayor to negotiate contract

The Shenandoah City Council voted March 4 to appoint Sam Maisel as city administrator and authorized the mayor to negotiate the terms of his contract.

A councilmember moved "to appoint negotiate a contract with Sam Maisel for city administrator and authorize the mayor to negotiate the terms of that contract," a motion the transcript identifies as made by Councilman Raymaker. The presiding officer indicated the motion was seconded; the record includes the statement "Aye" and the presiding officer then stated, "That motion carries." The transcript does not record a roll-call tally or full names of all voters.

After the vote, the presiding officer asked Maisel to come to the podium and councilmembers offered congratulations. Maisel thanked the mayor and council, saying, "I'm super excited for this opportunity. Look forward to working with the staff here, working with you, and serving the community of Shenandoah." A speaker also addressed him as "senator" during the remarks recorded in the transcript.

The meeting opened with the presiding officer confirming the date and time, announcing a citizens forum slot for three-minute public comments (no one signed up), and then moving into an executive session under Texas Government Code 551.074 to discuss the city administrative vacancy. The council reconvened and completed the appointment action before adjourning the special session at 1:30 p.m.

The transcript contains two different spellings of the appointee's surname ("Maisel" and "Miziel"); this article uses the form "Sam Maisel" as it appears in the motion text. The record does not include an effective start date for the appointment or the negotiated contract terms; those details were not specified in the transcript.