Part-time City of Magnolia consultant Paul Mendes was hired on as full-time city administrator by the city council after a unanimous vote.

Mendes had been working on a part-time basis with the city since May, filling the position left vacant after former city administrator Ryan Kelley resigned following a DWI arrest.

Council members said Mendes’ experience and leadership led them to vote to hire Mendes as a full-time city administrator.

“He’s just brought a grounding into the entire staff because of his leadership skills,” said Council member Patsy Williams. “He was able to look at our budget and see immediately where to trim.”

Williams added that she wanted to hire Mendes 10 years ago.

“Paul is very experienced, very accessible, he’s a ‘doer,’” said Council member Chris Schod.

Mendes said he said he has enjoyed working for the city on a part-time basis since May.

“I am proud as could be; this is a real honor,” he said. “During some very dark days, Magnolia was standing behind me. I won’t forget that.”

Mendes said projects he is looking to accomplish include building the newly-created public works department, going back to a full five-day work week and making the city more “citizen friendly.”

Since starting with the city, Mendes has worked on multiple projects, including TxDOT projects and the San Jacinto River Authority groundwater plan.

The council voted to hire Mendes on a part-time basis in May, after Kelley submitted his resignation April 22.

Mendes had been city manager of Oak Ridge North for nearly 16 years when he was fired by the city council last December in a 3-2 vote over issues involving the Biofuels Power Corp. Finances, contracts, city equipment and purchases were cited as reasons for his termination, according to media reports.

He was indicted on two felony charges of abuse of official capacity in February and was acquitted by a jury in June of one charge while the other charge was dropped.

The two charges stemmed from two separate instances of uses of federal surplus property, one being the use of generators and the other revolved around a utility truck and a John Deere lawnmower, said Chief Assistant District Attorney Phil Grant.

Before working for Oak Ridge North, Mendes served in the U.S. Army for 26 years. He worked throughout the world, spending most of the time in East Asia. His last assignment was working as a Headquarters Commandant in Fort Lewis, Wash.

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