Andrew Freeman/Photo via City of Amarillo
Following the separation agreement between the City of Amarillo and former city manager Jared Miller, deputy city manager Andrew Freeman is now filling the role of city manager.
While Freeman has not been officially named interim city manager by Amarillo City Council, his role as deputy city manager already included filling in for the city manager when he was not available. Mayor Stanley noted that Freeman has done this before, including during the first few weeks of the flood disaster which impacted the city earlier this year.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Freeman joined the City of Amarillo in April 2017, starting as Economic Development Manager and Assistant to the City Manager. His hiring came just months after Jared Miller was hired by the city in January 2017 and was shortly before Ginger Nelson was elected to her first term as mayor in May of 2017.
About a year after being hired, Freeman was made Director of Economic Development and Intergovernmental Affairs, where part of his job was to “develop and monitor the City’s state and federal legislative agendas.” Shortly after that promotion, he spent about 3 years in various positions related to planning and development. He was made an assistant city manager in August 2021, where he oversaw police, municipal court, building safety, environmental health, fire marshal, planning, and the city’s legislative affairs program. He also previously oversaw the civic center, community development, and transit.
Before being hired in Amarillo, he worked for the City of San Marcos from April 2008 to October 2013, for the City of Tulia from November 2013 to August 2014, and for the City of Plainview from August 2014 to April 2017. Before working in city government, Freeman worked for Sav-On Office Supplies, PetraOleum, and Bank of Texas while in college.
Shortly after signing the separation agreement, former city manager Jared Miller told the media that “Andrew is imminently qualified, very prepared, and he’s going to do an excellent job.”
Freeman is potentially being eyed as a permanent city manager by the city, according to Mayor Cole Stanley. Stanley has also noted that the city is not in a hurry to begin a search for a permanent replacement.