New administrator wants Marion to thrive
Staff writer
The first order of business for Brian Wells, who will become Marion city administrator June 16, will be getting to know the community and council and then deciding the best paths to take from there, he said in an interview last week.
The public can meet Wells at a public reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at the community center.
Wells wants to learn people’s hopes, dreams, and thoughts for the community, he said.
“The main thing is to get in there, work with the council, and see what they want to do,” Wells said.
“I’m big on taking care of the resources we have,” he said. “The biggest challenge for the community, I think, is finding growth opportunities. Obviously for a community to stay viable, you need economic stability and opportunities for growth.
“I’m optimistic and a fighter. If an idea doesn’t work today, it might later, and if an idea didn’t work yesterday, it might today. You’ve got to keep your mind open and keep looking.”
After working two years in Collier County, Florida, as a division director for public transit and neighborhood enhancement, Wells said he’d been watching for opportunities to return to his native Kansas, where he and his wife both have family.
His final day at his Florida post will be June 3.
When he became aware of Marion’s opening, he applied within a month of the job being posted.
“I was looking for a specific type of thing,” he said.
Wells said he had read about the raid Aug. 11, 2023, on the newspaper and the homes of its owners and Vice-Mayor Ruth Herbel.
“We need to find a way forward and learn from the past,” he said.
The city’s two-year contract with Wells sets his annual salary at $125,000 — twice the salary paid to former administrator Brogan Jones.
If he is terminated without cause, he will be paid 120 days after termination.
He also will receive $2,000 moving expenses.
The city also will defend him in any legal action.
Wells worked from 2012 to 2019 in public transportation at Estes Park, Colorado, and from 2019 to 2023 as general manager of RATP Dev, a regional transportation service serving Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
He has a master’s degree in public administration and a post-baccalaureate certificate in homeland security. His bachelor’s degree in business administration is from Emporia State University.
He was born in Emporia and grew up in Olathe.
Wells was hired after a closed-door session of a special council meeting May 14.