Longtime McAllen City Manager retires
When longtime McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez announced his retirement last month (June 2024), a few gossip mongers were quick to jump on the social platforms, known for spreading unsubstantiated chismé without merit: “Why is he retiring now? He’s only 60.” Meaning, he can’t be leaving a job he clearly loves simply because, well, he wants to take it easy for a change, spend more time with family, pursue hobbies near and dear to his heart after 40-plus years of hard work.
Speaking to Rodriguez several weeks after he made his announcement, when told of the rumor mill, which he tries to avoid like the plague, as do most people with a thinking brain, his initial response was: “Wow. Well you know that’s sad, but it’s totally predictable.”
Meaning, the work of a public servant, elected or appointed, is one that will never please all of the people all of the time, no matter the quality job they do. Naysayers just seem to come with the territory related to public service.
The Retirement News
Rodriguez said that actually, in the run-up to announcing his retirement plans last month, one of the things that was stressing him out the most was, “How much notice do I give the mayor, the city commissioners, my staff? I’d been thinking about it for six months, trying to work out the best time frame, but it turned out to be harder than I thought.”
Now set to officially retire Sept. 13th, after being McAllen’s city manager since 2014, Rodriguez said one of the things he told himself that he was not going to do, was leave a wide gap between announcing his retirement and actually closing his office door for the last time.
“In the back of my mind, I thought, it’s got to be enough time to be respectful to the organization that I love, and that’s how I ended up with the 90-day time frame. I can’t say that the (mayor and city commissioners) were happy with the news of my retirement, but they were very gracious in accepting it. Plus, it gave me time to help steer the city through yet another budget process. No matter who follows in my shoes, I couldn’t see dropping that job in the lap of my replacement.”
Speaking about the naysayers who popped up after word got around concerning his retirement — Rodriguez is stepping down — there really didn’t seem to be that many, but…
“I don’t know who they are, I really don’t care who they are, but point to something I’ve done wrong, anything, and we can talk, but you’re not going to find any.”
In fact, “Roy” Rodriguez said, “I can’t tell you how good I feel about leaving at the top. That’s all I can say.”
Before his appointment as McAllen interim city manager in March of 2014, Rodriguez spent 10 years with the McAllen Public Utility Board, a professional civil engineer by trade.
“Before that, people forget the 10 years that I was with the city of Harlingen. Not to mention Weslaco, Beaumont, and Oklahoma City. All told, I’ve been at it for almost 40 years.”
Sixty years young, and still going strong.
“I was recently at a state conference in Wichita Falls, and a good friend of mine said, ‘You just don’t look old enough to retire.’ I said, ‘Thank you. That’s the point.’”
Rodriguez said that it’s sad that some people try to make an issue out of retirement, “But it’s predictable. Meanwhile, God is my path, and He’s always been my path, and that’s the way I’ve lived throughout my career.”
Still McAllen’s city manager for the time being, at least until Sept. 13, Rodriguez said that when (a local news outlet) “First interviewed me for the retirement story, I was asked, ‘Is there anything going on?’”
Somewhat taken aback, he said, “Absolutely not. When exactly is the right time to retire? When you say it is? No, I don't think so.”
His Top Accomplishments
“Roy” Rodriguez said when he’s asked to list what he considers to be his top accomplishments during his tenure as McAllen city manager, while giving credit to the city commission and staff, it’s a hard question to answer, he said, because over the past 10-plus years, the city has accomplished so many things that benefit the community.
“Look, I’m not perfect, but I see perfection in this city every day, including this office, my organization, my staff; and we have done so much over the past 10 years.”
In fact, said Rodriguez, he’d be willing to put these past 10-plus years he’s served as McAllen city manager up against anyone who’s ever served in a similar capacity across the Rio Grande Valley.
“Then I’ll let the community decide whether or not it’s worthy of a discussion.”
Rodriguez said that for him, it’s always been a matter of treating people fairly, no matter their position in life.
“I’ve worked so hard to walk a tightrope, no matter who you are. From the poorest person in town to the richest one. Period. I hope that my record here shows I did the same for both, no matter who they were, or who they represented.”
The question is, does the city owe them a service, said Rodriguez.
“If the answer is yes, then go do it, without thinking. Or caring who they are.”
When he announced his retirement in June, “Roy” Rodriguez told his staff, “Look, the hardest part about leaving now is that we’re doing so well, but that was intentional.”
His departure from his job as city manager, though, shouldn’t be a shock.
“I’m 60 years old. Period. I’m not going to stop working, though. I’m going to stop going to the office on a daily basis, that’s true, but I’m not going to stop thinking for a living. The truth is, I love public service.”
Which means, down the road, if you see Rodriguez doing consulting work for other public entities, that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Many other city managers gone before have followed similar paths.
Notable achievements include Rodriguez being named City Manager of the Year in Texas by the Texas City Management Association in 2017, as well as receiving the LifetimeAchievement Award in 2023 from TCMA.
Last but not least, when asked what he considers to be his top accomplishments while serving as McAllen city manager over the past 10.5 years, Rodriguez struggled a bit to find an answer, considering how many city projects he has helped bring to fruition, but in the end, here are his top four:
# Improving the quality of life for city residents, which includes drainage improvements.
# Improvements and upgrades at the Anzalduas Bridge Cargo Port of Entry.
# Leaving the city in the best financial position it’s ever been in, which includes McAllen’s first tax-rate decrease.
# Last but not least, much-needed benefit enhancements for city employees.
The City’s Official Bio
For Roel “Roy” Rodriguez’s full biography, the city has this posted on its website:
Since March 2014, Roel Roy Rodriguez, P.E., has served as City Manager for the City of McAllen. Reporting directly to the Mayor and City Commission, Mr. Rodriguez manages 35 departments including two international ports of entry, an international airport, a municipal golf course, and the Convention Center District and has direct oversight over the City’s $197 million operating budget.
Mr. Rodriguez has over 30 years’ experience managing diverse fiscal, environmental and community areas. He previously served as General Manager for the McAllen Public Utility where he oversaw all water and wastewater operations, including a capacity of 59 million gallons of treated water per day and growing. He previously worked as the City Engineer, Assistant City Manager and City Manager in Harlingen; the City Engineer in Weslaco; Jefferson County Engineer in Texas; and as Area Engineer in Oklahoma.
Mr. Rodriguez has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&I University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas-Pan American.
He currently serves on the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) Board of Trustees, to which he was appointed by Governor Rick Perry in 2005. In a separate appointment, Gov. Greg Abbott later appointed him to the same seat.
Rodriguez was also appointed by Governor Rick Perry in 2009 to serve on the Rio Grande Regional Water Authority.
Mr. Rodriguez is also a member of the engineering advisory council at South Texas College. He also serves on the Public Administration Advisory Council at South Texas College and the Texas A&M University Kingsville College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board. He is a member of the Texas City Manager Association and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
He is a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, where he does his favorite community work as a catechist teacher for high school seniors among many other community organizations. He is married and has three children.