New Sweeny City Manager Eager to Start at City Hall Dec. 9

Newly appointed Sweeny City Manager Reese Cook sat down for a 90 minute interview with The Herald on Friday, and we’ll have the full story in our Dec. 6 e-Edition.

The City Council voted to hire Cook on Nov. 19, and the 35-year-old Sweeny native and father of three, will take over as the leader of the city’s staff on Dec. 9.

In the interview, Cook — active in Sweeny First Baptist Church as a Sunday school leader and an ordained Deacon — shared a testimony of God’s role in his new appointment. And he discussed the prayers he said with his wife over the decision to apply for the job.

Cook also addressed concerns raised by councilman Neal Bess, the council’s sole dissenting vote in the decision to hire him. Bess told The Herald that he wanted the council to hire someone with experience as a city manager experience or at least on a city staff.

Cook acknowledged that he has neither type of experience and that Bess, “is not wrong” in his concerns.

But he said he believes his previous seven years overseeing maintenance engineers at Phillips 66 in Sweeny have given him a great deal of experience applicable to the city manager job. He wrote and managed a Phillips 66 budget and team very similar to the city’s, he said.

“My goal is to talk to (Bess) and listen closely to all his concerns, and then go win him over,” Cook said.

Cook will replace former city manager Cindy King who resigned the position on Aug. 1 to move out of the area so she could be closer to family members.

The Herald repeats our prayer, Dear Lord, that Cook’s tenure at Sweeny City Hall be filled with His Peace and Fruitfulness.