Mike Alexander named City Manager for Palestine (Nate Smith, City of Palestine)

The Palestine City Council voted to name Mike Alexander as the next city manager.

Alexander has served as the interim city manager since October 2015.

“After a long discussion about the stability of the city and negotiations with the council, we all agreed that I accept the job as city manager,” Alexander said. “We discussed plans as far as the organizational structure to make sure there’s an equal distribution of resources in the city of Palestine.”

Alexander spent 31 years in law enforcement, 25 of those with the Austin Police Department. Following his retirement from the Austin Police Department, he was a major with the Office of Inspector General Internal Affairs Section, where he was in charge of a statewide internal affairs investigation division. Alexander graduated from St. Edward’s University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice. During his time with Austin police, he became involved with teaching leadership and ethics. He has designed leadership and ethics curriculums that are currently being taught throughout the U.S. 

Alexander also is the founder of the LION (Loyalty Integrity Optimism Nobility) Organizational Development Institute. LION is a leadership and development institute with a focus on Healthy Work Environments, Officer Wellness, Ethics and Leadership. He continues to teach leadership and ethical service to police departments and governmental agencies around the country.

Alexander named Michael Hornes as assistant city manager. Hornes has worked with the city since 2013, and is currently a deputy director in the Public Works department. Hornes holds a Masters in Public Administration degree from Texas Tech and has worked for the city of Lubbock and the New York City Parks Department.

– City of Palestine