In a press release Wednesday, City Manager Bradley Ford announced he would resign from his position with the city. His last day will be February 28, 2026. Ford has been with the city since 2017, serving as the City Manager since 2020.
Ford said the decision did not come easy, but it was the right one for his family.
"City Manager is a 24 hour job, seven days a week," Ford told KWBU. "It's a heavy weight."
Ford has three teenagers at home and said he has not been able to play as active a role as he would like.
"This job is absolutely at tension with being a good dad," he said. "No amount of money can but more time."
In 2024, Ford had a major health challenge which forced him to take time off. He said he has been thinking about leaving the City Manager position ever since then.
"I made some promises to the council and to my family [after that] about how to reduce my stress," he said. "It's a promise I haven't fully kept up."
That made him rethink a contract extension the City Council was set to approve last month.
He will remain with the city until the end of February. He said that will allow the city time to find and train his replacement.
The council will begin a search for Waco’s next City Manager soon and will provide regular updates on the search.
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