Princeton hires new city manager

The Princeton Herald
by Bob Wieland 
January 5, 2024

After interviewing several candidates, The Princeton City Council chose Michael Mashburn, a candidate with a strong background in parks and recreation, to succeed Derek Borg, who resigned in October. Members agreed unanimously at a special council meeting held Friday, Jan. 5. “I could not be more excited,” Mayor Brianna Chacon said after the vote.

Mashburn has been deputy city manager of Farmers Branch since 2022. Before that, he was director of parks and recreation for Farmers Branch from 2019-2022 and the assistant parks and rec director from 2018-2019.

His resume said Mashburn has a bachelor of science degree in recreation and leisure studies from California State University and a master’s in public administration from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Before joining Farmer’s Branch, Mashburn was superintendent of recreation for Keller from 2014-2018, including managing Keller Pointe, a 92,000 square-foot recreational facility.
Princeton voters agreed in November to sell $109.1 million in bonds for park and library improvements including a new recreation center and pool.
Mashburn said his certifications included Certified Parks & Recreation Professional and a certification in park planning from the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Land at Indiana University.
In his profile, Mashburn wrote that he was a “well-organized multitasker with strong detail orientation” and had “excellent planning, organization, time management and decision-making skills.”
During his tenure at Farmers Branch, Mashburn implemented a four-day work week for all non-sworn staff and assisted in recruiting the world’s largest pickleball tournament.
While in California, he served as a recreation supervisor for the city of West Sacramento as it built a 105,000 square foot recreation center.