EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) - Dionne Mack began her term as El Paso city manager on Tuesday, September 3. In a 6-2 vote, the City Council voted for Mack after interviewing the top four candidates.  Mack has 28 years of public service experience with 14 years in New York and 14 years in El Paso. She used to serve as the City of El Paso’s deputy city manager for quality of life. Mack sat down with KTSM for a one-on-one interview where she spoke of the need for efficiency and community engagement as central themes in her role. Mack outlined her approach to various city issues including managing budgets, improving city services and working with elected officials. She began by explaining the importance of community input and understanding the inner workings of city governance. "It's critical for us to listen to the community and help them understand the resources available," Mack said, "The city has been focusing on hearing the voices of different districts and translating that feedback into actionable policies," Mack said.  Local reporters were not allowed to interview candidates during the selection process, raising questions about transparency. However, Mack felt that all necessary aspects of city operations were covered in the council’s interview process, with a focus on critical issues like community needs, recruitment strategies and staff management. When asked about her plans for improving the community, she said: "My goal is to bring another level of excellence to the city's work. We are aware that service delivery times and quality aren't always satisfactory, and that’s something I’m focusing on improving." She referenced the two-year strategic plan adopted by the City Council earlier this year, which remains a central guide to her office’s work. With nearly 30 years of public service experience, including time in New York, Mack said her previous roles prepared her to serve El Paso’s diverse community.  In New York, she worked with 2.5 million people speaking 30 languages, which gave her a broad perspective on different community needs.  "When I came to El Paso, my focus was always citywide. It's about ensuring equity in service delivery across the entire city," Mack said.  She also acknowledged that El Paso’s expansive geography presents unique challenges for public transit and city services. Mack said that her team has been working on improving transit services, particularly the paratransit system to make it more accessible to underserved areas.  "We never want to be in a place where someone says they can't go to church on Sunday because there’s no transit service," Mack said.  Mack said that balancing public demand for more services with keeping taxes low is challenging, but she is committed to improving city operations without significantly increasing the tax burden. One key aspect of her approach is filling the numerous vacancies within city departments, which has been a budgetary balancing tool, but also a source of frustration for residents. Regarding employee morale, which had been flagged as a concern during the hiring process, she said that lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, vacancies and uncertainty about the city’s leadership had taken a toll on staff. To address this, she plans to work on competitive salaries and create a supportive work environment. She also spoke about her relationship with elected officials, emphasizing that her role is to support their policies and bring various perspectives together. While there are potential differences in vision, she noted that collaboration is key to ensuring successful governance. The city manager’s salary and contract were also a topic of discussion. When asked why she opted not to keep some of the benefits her predecessor had, she responded that her focus was on aligning her salary with those of her peers in similar cities. "I just want to be at my peers' wages," Mack said. She explained that while her salary is about 12 percent below the average, she plans to stay long-term and will catch up over time. Looking ahead, she expressed confidence that the city's executive team would help incoming elected officials succeed, regardless of potential changes in the city council or mayor’s office in the upcoming elections. Summarized key priorities for El Paso moving forward, according to Mack: Improving city services: A focus on efficiency, especially in day-to-day operations like trash collection, street maintenance and transit services. Budget and debt management: Preparing for future budgets while minimizing new debt to avoid tax increases. Employee morale: Addressing vacancies and improving salaries to retain talent and reduce stress on overburdened staff. Public transit: Expanding accessibility and improving routes to better serve the city’s growing population.