New Wichita City Manager Dennis Marstall begins first few days of the job

New Wichita City Manager Dennis Marstall is spending the next couple of weeks touring the city and learning more about each of its departments.

Marstall spent one of his first few days with his city at a six-hour-long City Council meeting, where the council approved a settlement with Genesis Health Clubs over a failed public-private partnership at the Ice Center.

“A lot of the topics that we had [Tuesday] was everything from the airport to new roads to some of our fiscal accountability, so certainly, trying to cover the wide variety of issues and getting up to speed quickly,” Marstall said in an interview following the meeting.

“So meetings certainly help do that, but more importantly, shows where democracy plays out at the local level, and it’s here in the council chamber. So, glad to be a part of it.”

During that meeting, Wichita Mayor Lily Wu criticized longtime City Manager Robert Layton, blaming him for the fallout of the Ice Center contract, and said she was relieved to have a new city manager.

“Now we have a new city manager and… I am hopeful, because with this new city manager my expectation is more accountability, more transparency,” she said.

Marstall said Wu’s comment “raised the bar” for the city and his position.

“I think it meets expectations for what citizens want, and I think it’s something we need to work to deliver on,” Marstall said. “I don’t think there’s any question really too tough.

“We do need to be open and transparent when we’re talking about public dollars, when we’re talking about contracts, when we were talking about agreements and different things.”

Marstall will spend the next several weeks participating in ride-alongs with public safety and undertaking tours of different departments and facilities. That includes the Northwest Water Treatment Plant – which is more than a year behind schedule for its opening.

“I want to get a look around the community, make sure I understand what’s going on,” Marstall said.

Among the things happening is the March special election on a 1% sales tax.

Marstall’s previous community in Lancaster County had a transportation sales tax vote last year, which it ultimately rejected.

“I actually think it speaks volumes … people really are thinking to the future,” Marstall said. “People do want better for the community, and it’s something I can easily get my arms around.”

While Marstall has only been in the city for a few days before Tuesday’s meeting, he said he’s been enjoying walks around the river and the amenities surrounding it.

“I’ve never seen the memorials along the river before and the Keeper of the Plains,” he said, “and so just enjoying everything that it has to offer.”