The changes come at key times for both communities, which more than any others, drive the Central Texas economy. Both are dealing with the economic slowdown in general and the more severe technology slowdown in particular.
Garza leaves the city to manage the Lower Colorado River Authority's water supplies and environmental policies. Stluka said he'll spend more time as a lobbyist before the Texas Legislature.
Garza, if nothing more, has been a stabilizing force in city government. He served eight years as city manager after a series of executives fairly ran through a revolving door at the city hall entrance. During his term, the city began development of a new city hall complex in a deal that put Computer Sciences Corp. offices in the CBD and made the transition to the new Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
In Round Rock, Stluka, while mayor just since 1999, has headed the city's government during quick growth and just as quick bust. Dell Computer Corp., the city's biggest employer, has cut thousands of jobs in the wake of the slowdown in the technology industry. He was instrumental in developing a new economic development plan that calls for greater diversification of Round Rock's economy. Nyle Maxwell, CEO of Maxwell Automotive Group, is the only announced candidate to succeed Stluka.
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