After a lengthy search that spanned two City Councils, two mayors, and as many as 30 candidates, the next city manager was there all along.
Brian Shea, who has served as interim city manager for nearly a year, was appointed to the permanent position on Wednesday night, with Mayor Josh Nathan, a Democrat, telling The Record Shea “is the guy” for the job.
The announcement, made at the City Council’s first meeting of the year, “follows a thoughtful search and consideration by two City Councils and two Mayors,” Nathan said.
The mayor described Shea as “a steady hand” during an interim period, which included what he called “a busy 2025 and the transition to 2026 with our new city government.”
“My councilmember colleagues and I are excited to continue working with Brian,” Nathan said.
Shea, who was hired by the city as assistant city manager in February 2022, stepped into the interim role as the city began its search for a replacement following the retirement of Greg Usry. The former city manager stepped down at the end of March 2025 after more than five years on the job. Usry earned a salary of $215,000 during his final year.
As the new city manager, Shea will see a pay bump from his interim rate of $213,900, although his new salary was not immediately clear. The employment terms are expected to be approved at the council’s next meeting, which is scheduled for Jan. 28, according to Nathan.
The permanent city manager position, which oversees the day-to-day operations of city government, was advertised on multiple job boards and websites for about a month and drew between 26 and 30 applicants.
A search subcommittee — made up of then-Mayor Josh Cohn, who is politically unaffiliated; then-Councilman Bill Henderson, a Republican; and then-Councilman Nathan — conducted interviews with city staff, researched search firms, and identified interim candidates before recommending Shea, who was then serving as assistant city manager, for the interim role in March.
The City Council hired consulting firm Pracademics last March, at a cost not to exceed $22,500, to aid in the search.
Before coming to Rye, Shea served as the city of Albany’s chief of operations. He was also previously the chief of staff to Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and upstate director of intergovernmental affairs for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
From June 2023 to March 2025, Shea served as an adjunct faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University, according to his LinkedIn profile. He holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Binghamton and a master of public administration degree from Marist.
