Ary tops list of 53 candidates, began duties March 3

Mayor Randy Burke and the Monett City Council have announced the selection of Mickey Ary as the newly hired city administrator. 

The selection of Ary followed a nationwide search that considered 53 candidates generated by the executive recruitment firm of Baker Tilly US, LLP, led by public sector recruitment consultant Art Davis out of their Kansas City area offices.

Ary has most recently served for over three years as city administrator of Peculiar, a fast-growing community of 6,000 in the southeast quadrant of metro Kansas City. Prior experience includes serving as city administrator for Odessa and as a senior administrator for Sugar Creek Baptist Church, consisting of multiple locations throughout the Houston metro region, where he was responsible for overseeing a variety of operations – including an annual combined funds budget of nearly $30 million. 

Ary obtained a Master of Public Administration degree from Texas Southern University Houston, a Master of Divinity degree from Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Missouri Southern State College in Joplin.

“Mickey has a record of leadership and building high functioning teams in both the public and nonprofit sectors,” Burke said. “He will bring great enthusiasm and energy to Monett as we continue to grow and address the needs of the organization and community into the future.”

“Coming back to Southwest Missouri — and in particular, the city of Monett — feels like coming home,” Ary said. “I am excited to begin working with the Mayor and City Council, staff, and community stakeholders to build upon Monett’s rich past and to continue ongoing efforts to ensure a vibrant future.”