Wichita city manager finalist withdraws from consideration
A finalist for the Wichita city manager position withdrew his candidacy late Friday as council members are considering who to hire as a replacement for retiring City Manager Robert Layton.
The council was planning to make a decision as early as Tuesday. Layton is leaving at the end of the year.
Donte Martin, 53-year-old assistant city manager under Layton for the past eight years, notified the city’s search consultant on Friday that he was withdrawing his application. He did not cite a reason but said in a letter to the consultant that he looks forward to continuing to serve the city as assistant manager.
“I respectfully withdraw my candidacy for the position of City Manager for the City of Wichita,” Martin wrote, according to a letter the consultant forwarded to multiple city sources that was obtained and verified by The Eagle. “This decision comes after careful thought and reflection.”
Martin said he did not want to comment further Friday night but verified his withdrawal.
He participated in several events as part of the interview process, records provided by the city earlier this week show. They included tours by Visit Wichita, dinners and lunch meetings with the search selection advisory committee and city council members, stakeholder meetings and a news conference paired with a public forum on Tuesday. Martin gave no hint at that time that he was having second thoughts.
“Being the city manager of this city allows me to make a larger impact on a much grander scale, to shape the future of our city, and Wichita being my home, being my hometown where I was born and raised, it’s an opportunity to continue to come back and be of service,” he said at the time.
Reporters asked Martin on Tuesday whether he would stay in Wichita if he was not selected.
“If it’s up to me, I’ll be staying,” he said. “This is my home, born and raised in Wichita, and I’ve had the opportunity to work here for close to 26 years. I think I would bring value to either of the managers that are potentially selected. But, of course, they have a decision to make. I serve at the will of that manager. But as far as if I had my druthers, I’d be in Wichita, working for the city of Wichita, being of service to our community.”
A desire to continue in his current role was repeated in his letter to the consultant. Martin’s duties include working closely with public safety departments, the city attorney, human resources, finance, IT and several other responsibilities within the city manager’s office, including the internal auditor, strategic communications and administrative services.
“I remain fully committed to the success of the City of Wichita and its residents,” he wrote in the letter. “Although I am choosing to step aside at this time, I look forward to working with the next City Manager and continuing to serve the community in my current role.”
The two remaining candidates are Mark Freitag, a 59-year-old former city manager for a Denver suburb and Janesville, Wisconsin, and Dennis Marstall, a 56-year-old county administrator for a suburb of Charlotte.
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 8:56 PM.