Miller is has already overseen the city s operations in short stints, saying he filled in for Ferrell-Benavides when she went out of town. Now, his short-term mission is to get the city ready for the next city manager to takeover. Petersburg has very very good employees, Miller said. The biggest task is to make sure they have the tools to do their jobs and at the same time we identify the right person to be the next city manager for the City of Petersburg.
Mayor Samuel Parham says that City Council is not planning to hire a search firm to replace Ferrell-Benavides like it has previously for high-level positions. Instead, Petersburg will work with Virginia Municipal League, a statewide nonprofit association of local governments.
By accepting the job, Ferrell-Benavides is bookending Lone Star State positions around her time in Petersburg. She was city manager of Glenn Heights, south of Dallas, when Petersburg hired her.
Duncanville, with a population of about 7,000 more than Petersburg, is located about 10 miles north of Dallas.
In the announcement, Duncanville called Ferrell-Benavides committed to serving in the field of public administration as well as a person with a true commitment to government.
Ferrell-Benavides has served in a variety of municipal positions during her career. In addition to Petersburg and Texas, she has worked in California, Illinois and Washington, D.C. She also once interned at the Central Intelligence Agency.