AUSTIN, Texas – After a long search, the City of Austin has named Spencer Cronk as its city manager.

City leaders have spent over a year looking for the right candidate to assume Austin's most powerful seat. The final decision was made on Tuesday afternoon. 

The search was narrowed down to two candidates last week; Spencer Cronk and Howard Lazarus. Both of the candidates have experience working in city government.

Cronk has served as the Minneapolis city coordinator since 2014. Before that, he worked for New York City and Minnesota's Department of Administration.

The other candidate, Lazarus, has experience working in the city as the public works director. Lazarus moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, last year to serve as its city manager.

While both men have different backgrounds, they have similar priorities when it comes to community engagement.

"In Minneapolis, we've done everything from engaging with artists to help think differently about what artists can do in a different community," Cronk said. 

"Being out, being seen, and being connected with the community and the public is a very important part of the job," Lazarus said. 

The city manager is responsible for overseeing all of the city departments and more than 17,000 employees.

Cronk will start as the new city manager in January 2018. City leaders hope the holidays will give him enough time to move in.