Four In The Running For Canyon City Manager Job

Four finalists have been tapped to fill the position

of city manager in Canyon, and two already work for the city.

The City had 47 applications from candidates in 13 states, as well as Canada and Australia.

The two who work for the city now are  Christopher (Chris) Sharp who is currently the Finance Director for the City, and Jon Behrens who is the  Assistant City Manager and serving as the Interim City Manager.

 Jacob Ellis is the Deputy Town Manager for Gilbert, Arizona, and Joseph (Joe) Price currently serves as the Assistant City Manager and Director of Planning and Development for The City of Borger.

More Info on candidates: 

• Christopher (Chris) Sharp has 18 years of local government experience and is currently the Finance Director for the City of Canyon, where he has served since 2008. He previously served as the Local Government Services Program Coordinator for the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission from 2001-2008. Chris is a Certified Public Manager. He holds a master’s degree in education from West Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from West Texas State University.
• Jacob Ellis has 16 years of state and local government experience and currently serves as the Deputy Town Manager for the Town of Gilbert, Arizona. He held several positions with Cowichan Valley Regional District in Duncan, B.C. from 2007-2015, including Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, General Manager of Regional Services, Manager of Corporate Planning, and Coordinator of Policy, Research, and Special Projects, and was a Legal Researcher for the Municipality of North Cowichan, B.D. in 2006. Jacob was Assistant to the Executive Director for Envision Utah from 2003-2004, and in 2003, served as a Judicial Intern for the Graham County, Arizona, Superior Court, and a Legislative Assistant for the Utah State Legislature. Jacob holds a Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, a master’s degree in public administration from Cleveland State University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University.
• Jon Behrens has 25 years of local government and public education experience. He joined the City of Canyon in 2014, and currently serves as the Interim City Manager and Assistant City Manager and previously held the position of Assistant to the City Manager for Special Projects. Prior to joining the City of Canyon, Jon was the Senior-Director of Residential Living for West Texas A&M University from 2000-2014; Department of Housing Director for Texas A&M University-Commerce from 1998-2000; and Residential Living Assistant Director for West Texas A&M University from 1994-1998. Jon holds a master’s degree in counseling and student services administration from the University of North Texas, and a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Texas A&M University-College Station.
• Joseph (Joe) Price has seven years of local government experience and currently serves as the Assistant City Manager and Director of Planning and Development for The City of Borger. He previously served as the Local Government Services Program Coordinator for the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission in Amarillo from 2012-2017. Joe holds both a master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in political science from West Texas A&M University. He is a Certified Public Manager and a Certified Floodplain Manager.