Harold Boldt, the former city manager for Texarkana, Ark.
The Texarkana, Ark., city government has announced that former City Manager Harold Boldt has left his post effective immediately.
The Texarkana Gazette reported Tuesday that Boldt’s departure was announced at a news conference hosted by Mayor Wayne Smith.
Smith said the city board and Boldt “mutually agreed to part ways” Monday during a closed city board of directors meeting.
Smith told Arkansas Business that each board member had various points of contention with Boldt. Smith said his reason had to do with a disagreement with Boldt’s management style. Smith said it was “not consistent with what I thought Texarkana needed in this time of its history.”
“Sometimes you need change to grow and go forward,” Smith said. He asserted that the decision was “very agreeable” to all parties.
According to the Gazette article, Smith will recommend a nationwide search for a new city manager. An interim manager may be named by the end of the week and it will most likely not be a city employee.
A severance package was being worked out for Boldt and details were not immediately available, the article said.
Boldt was heavily involved with the development of the Crossroads Business Park near Interstate 30. It includes an $18 million convention center and $40 million water park. In December, Boldt was seeking a five-year, $2 million loan to pay for a parking lot at the water park.
Kenny Haskin, the city’s director of economic development, told Arkansas Business that the convention center and water park were still on track. Both are scheduled to open this spring.
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