AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Interim City Manager Jesús Garza has named Bob Kahn the new general manager of Austin Energy. His tenure as general manager will begin on July 3.
As general manager, Kahn will oversee the day-to-day operations of Austin Energy.
Kahn currently serves as the general manager of the Texas Municipal Power Agency and has previously served as the CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). He has previously worked at Austin Energy as the deputy general manager, general counsel and vice president for legal services.
“I’m very excited to return to Austin Energy and look forward to working with the community and the hardworking, dedicated staff at Austin Energy to accomplish the city council’s goals,” Kahn said.
Austin Energy's previous general manager, Jackie Sargent, retired in March. She had joined the local utility company in 2010 and became general manager in 2017.
In the weeks leading up to her retirement, Sargent had been at the center of public outcry after mass power outages left thousands of Austin Energy customers in the dark during a February ice storm. For some customers, getting the power back on took more than a week.
The KVUE Defenders found that Sargent was previously the highest paid City official, making more than $410,000 a year.
Stuart Reilly served as the interim Austin Energy general manager between Sargent and Kahn.