New city manager on the job

GONZALES — Sean Lally has been making the rounds in Gonzales since last Friday, but his first official day was Tuesday, Jan. 17, right on the heels of a holiday and preceding a full day of regularly-scheduled staff meetings and a special called meeting of city council.

Lally said he is thrilled to be a part of Gonzales.

"It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this great city," Lally said. "The staff here is incredible."

The new city manager is happy to have arrived in Gonzales to find such a professional staff.

"The city's employees are dedicated, bar-none," he said. "I left a professional environment in Monroeville – an environment I was extremely proud of – and it looks like I have been blessed again. I can already see a synergy between myself and staff. Everyone has been very accommodating."

Lally said while he drove down to Texas, from Pennsylvania, he encountered some bad weather conditions. There was snow in Tennessee, ice in Mississippi and a lot of wrecks, but when he got to Gonzales, he knew he had found the land of opportunity.

"I came in off of 1-10 and had the pleasure to drive past cow fields and farmland – and I was reminded of home," Lally said. "I feel a familiarity with this county. I grew up in a rural area."

Lally said his first order of business is an "Organization Assessment." He wants to look at staffing levels and the city's budget.

"My primary charge is to bring Gonzales back into fiscal health," Lally claimed. "All organizations need improvement. I was hired here to be part of a solution and not part of any continued problems."

Lally comes to Gonzales from the township of Monroeville, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh, where he was Chief Financial Officer. Before that he was the elected controller for Fayette County, Pa.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Duquesne University with a dual major in finance and economics. Additionally he holds a masters in public policy management from the University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated with summa cum laude honors.

Lally has been married for 20 years, has three children and enjoys reading, nature and road trips.

"This state is so large," he said. "I can already foresee many weekends of exploring."