AUSTIN, Texas – After months of silence on the candidates for the city manager position, Austin Mayor Steve Adler has finally released the names.

City leaders hope to choose the next city manager before the December break.

The candidates include:

Spencer Cronk

Cecil House

Scott Kubly

Howard Lazarus

Denise Roth

Maura Sullivan

The Citizens Search Task Force will meet with each of the candidates on Dec. 3. The City Council will then narrow down the names to three finalists on Dec. 7. The candidates who make the cut will then meet with the staff and public on Dec. 11 and 12 before a final decision is made.

Earlier this month, the Austin American-Statesman announced a lawsuit against the city for not disclosing the candidates in the hiring search for the city manager. The Statesman said Austin officials denied requests to release the names of city manager candidates under the Texas Public Information Act. According to the newspaper's Executive Editor Debbie Hiott, Austin residents will be paying the new manager's salary and deserve to know who is being considered for such a critical role.

The job pays $350,000 to $400,000 a year, according to the city's website, and oversees more than 12,000 employees.

The interim City Manager Elaine Hart was voted in by the City Council in September 2016.

Candidates’ backgrounds

Spencer Cronk previously worked as the city administrator in Minneapolis. Cronk received his bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison and then graduated from Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program.

Cecil House has a Master’s of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce. He is an attorney and senior operations executive for the New York Gilbane Building Company.

Scott Kubly was the Seattle Department of Transportation director in 2014. He has also worked as the deputy director of the Chicago Department of Transportation. Kubly received his Masters in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas and a Masters’ in Business from The Wharton School.

Howard Lazarus is the City Administrator for Ann Arbor. He was also the Director of Public Works for the city of Austin from 2008 to 2016. Lazarus was also the acting/interim assistant city manager for Austin in 2010. He received a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Military Academy and a Master of Science in Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Denise Turner Roth is the senior advisor for the WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, a global engineering organization. Roth was appointed to serve as the U.S. General Services Administration administrator by former President Barack Obama. She received her bachelor’s degree from George Mason University in political science; she also earned an honorary doctorate for her distinguished public service.

Maura Black Sullivan is the Chief Operating Officer for the city of Chattanooga. She also served as the interim executive director of Memphis Housing Authority. Sullivan graduated from the University of Memphis for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees.