Garza resigns as Austin city manager

In a headline-making move reported extensively in the Austin American-Statesman in January, Jesus Garza (LBJ Class of 1977) resigned from his position as Austin city manager to take a position at the Lower Colorado River Authority.

Garza, who had been Austin's city manager for eight years and who in 2000 had been named by Governing magazine as one of its Public Officials of the Year, became deputy general manager for LCRA water services on May 1. In this new capacity, Garza is in charge of water supplies and environmental policies.

Created by the Texas Legislature in 1934, the LCRA is a conservation and reclamation district that manages the Colorado River's water. The agency supplies electricity to more than a million Texans through wholesale customers and provides services such as flood management, park and recreation facilities, and economic development assistance.

After graduating from the LBJ School, Garza spent the first 10 years of his professional life (with the exception of a brief term as an administrator for U.S. Congressman J. J. "Jake" Pickle) working for the City of Austin. In 1988 he returned to his native Corpus Christi to serve first as assistant city manager and then as deputy city manager. Garza came back to Austin four years later to become the executive director of the Texas Water Commission. The following year, in May 1993, he returned to work for the City of Austin as an assistant city manager. He was appointed city manager in June 1994.

Since 1999, Garza has taught at the LBJ School during the spring semester. This spring he taught a course on urban management issues.

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May 13, 2002

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