Laredo arts commission asks city manager to pause public-arts manager hire pending committee input

The City of Laredo Fine Arts and Culture Commission voted Thursday to request that the city manager pause the recommendation to hire a public-arts manager until the commission has had an opportunity to review applicants and provide a formal recommendation.

The commission said the request follows committee members’ concerns that the selected candidate may lack required public-art and budget experience, that the commission was not consulted despite serving on the hiring committee, and that standard operating procedures (SOPs) and a final public-art funding report needed to guide a new hire are not yet in place.

Annalisa Perez Gomez, who identified herself as interim library director and said she was reporting on behalf of Maria Solis, said a hiring recommendation has been made and is progressing through…