Bozeman city manager slams Austin job, calls city 'a (expletive) show' in leaked video

The city manager of Bozeman, Montana, found himself under public scrutiny after a private video call during which he criticized city leadership in Bozeman — and Austin — circulated on social media, several media outlets in Montana reported.

In the nearly 20-minute video, which was published in full by NBC Montana, Jeff Mihelich also outed himself as a potential candidate for Austin’s city manager, and he did not mince words about the city.

"But they're a (expletive) show," Mihelich said of Austin.

"My ego tells me 'oh go try it Jeff,' but then the other part of me is like, 'are you stupid?'" Mihelich said.

Mihelich is now on leave, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported.

The city of Austin is currently on the hunt for a new chief executive. The position, currently held by interim City Manager Jesús Garza, has not had a permanent leader since early 2023 after the City Council ousted Spencer Cronk.

The City Council in October approved the hiring of Mosaic Public Partners to facilitate the search for a new candidate. The contract approved by the City Council was for no more than $150,000. Applications opened in January and are set to close Feb. 12.

In the conversation, Mihelich talks about the proposed base salary for the position in Austin clocking in at around $475,000.

Cronk's annual salary was about $388,000, which was raised from $350,001 the December before his firing. He was also set to receive a one-year severance of $463,001.50, including a year's salary and 240 hours of vacation payout upon his firing.

More: Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk out, will get $463,000 in severance

Garza's 2023 annual salary was listed around $350,000, according to city employment records obtained by the American-Statesman.

Mihelich in the video also talked about a possible car allowance, a housing allowance and "the other stupid things that city managers get."

Mihelich said in the video that Austin has "nine or 10 City Commission members," seemingly referring to the Austin City Council, which has 11 members.

"There's no way a city like that operates as it should," Mihelich said.

Mihelich said if Austin's job search were happening a year later, he would consider throwing his hat in the ring because he would be "vested" in Bozeman.

"All I would have to do ... is like just suck it up for five years and on the fifth year, like the day I am vested, I'd retire, I really would," Mihelich said, a statement he followed by jokingly sticking his tongue out and flipping his middle fingers to the camera.

Mihelich also referenced the chaos that ensued the last time Austin was looking for a city manager.

"They had the interviews at the airport to get the press away from it," Mihelich said.

The last time the city appointed an interim city manager was in 2016, when City Manager Marc Ott stepped down to take a job in Washington, D.C. The council picked Elaine Hart to fill the role temporarily.

To dodge reporters, consultants suggested the finalists for the city manager job wear wigs, pretend to be tourists or possibly even wear Halloween masks after Statesman reporters managed to identify several candidates.

"That's big-city bull (expletive)," Mihelich said.

Additionally, the City Council and the city's legal department were kept in the dark about plans to move the candidate interviews from the Hilton Austin Airport hotel to behind the security checkpoints at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the Statesman reported at the time.

"I'm flattered they reached out to me," Mihelich said.

Mosaic Public Partners did not respond immediately to the Statesman's request for comment.

Mihelich also did not immediately return the Statesman's request for comment, but he has issued a public apology, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported.

“I made some careless comments in a moment of stress and frustration that I deeply regret. I apologize to the Commission, to city staff, and most importantly, to Bozeman residents for the way I conducted myself,” Mihelich said in the statement. “This type of incident will not happen again and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to regain the trust of our community.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bozeman city manager says Austin is 'a (expletive) show' in leaked video