Mark McAnarney is nearing the end of his tenure in Emporia city government.
Having served the community for over 30 years, McAnarney will officially retire before the end of the month. He says his approach has always been to build relationships, and he says Emporia has been “blessed” with great leadership for decades. On KVOE’s Talk of Emporia on Monday, he also said there was a time when other career paths were under consideration.
For incoming City Manager Trey Cocking, the career path was laid out early. He wanted to be a city manager since childhood, and he was able to have that position in Cherryvale and Atchison before serving four years as deputy director for the Kansas League of Municipalities. He says he’s impressed by McAnarney’s desire to see everybody succeed and his focus on developing relationships.
Cocking begins his new role with a 7 am meeting Tuesday. He says his approach to city leadership involves improving downtown, as was evident by around $40 million worth of investments in Atchison’s downtown area, and to “hit singles and doubles and keep the line moving.” He also says it’s important to have a shared vision across city leadership.
A special reception honoring McAnarney and outgoing City Commissioner Jon Geitz is coming Dec. 17 at the White Auditorium Little Theater. The full audio from Monday’s Talk of Emporia is in the KVOE.com Audio Vault.
