Ricky Tow

The Gladewater City Council selected Ricky Tow to be its new city manager during its Thursday night meeting and Tow submitted his resignation to Mayor Scott Davis on Friday.
According to the Gladewater Mirror, Tow, presently city manager in Bowie, was one of two finalists announced earlier in the week. The city reportedly received 28 application packets.
Gladewater is a town of 6,427 people and it lays in Gregg and Upshur Counties in far eastern Texas.
The two finalists were interviewed last week during a three-hour executive session. The other finalist was Jeff Jenkins, city manager of Broken Arrow, OK.
Tow has been city manager in Bowie since April 2013, following James Cantwell who had been city manager for about 20 years. Prior to Bowie, he was city manager in Cameron four years and city manager administrator in Alvord for 11 years.
The Bowie manager has been under fire off and on during the past two years as citizens demanded reductions in utilities, questioned budgetary and personnel issues and other city operational items.
Tow met with his department heads Friday morning and told them he had placed his resignation on the mayor’s desk. He also has sent emails to all the council.
The city manager said Friday he was waiting on the formal notification from Gladewater, but confirmed he had give his 30-day notice to the mayor. Tow said it was a good time to make a change as the fiscal year comes to a close.
“The budget is done and the audit has started, so it is a good time at the closeout of a fiscal year. It also will give this new council an opportunity for a change of direction which many people have said they would like to see,” concluded Tow.
Mayor Scott Davis said he does not anticipate a called council meeting to discuss the replacement process. The next regular meeting is Nov. 7.