HASTINGS, Neb. – Job promotions are almost always a good thing, and sometimes it can present itself at an expected time.

After unexpectedly soaring into a new role, the new City Administrator in Hastings is beginning to work with the city government and departments after his promotion.

Mark Funkey took over the Assistant City Administrator role in February 2024, but now finds himself as City Administrator less than a year later.

Then-City Administrator Shawn Metcalf was terminated from the role in September of 2024, and Funkey took over in the interim. He was retained by new Mayor Jay Beckby, and is settling into his new role.

Funkey is succeeding the past two city administrators, who both exited on bad terms, and is letting people know he is determined to right the ship of the position.

"I'm a big believer in quality leadership, and in servant leadership. I espouse it in everything I do," said Funkey. "I try to live up to the standards I believe that are quality leadership for the people that I work with and support."

The Hastings City Administrator is responsible in the oversight of 10 separate city departments, which can be a handful.

Like any relationship, it’s communication as the most important thing for Funkey to keep each department up to date with the latest happenings and information.

"We've taken great strides in communication, but probably the number one thing we hear all the time is how to communicate better with the citizens of the Hastings community," said Funkey. "Communication is a challenging thing sometimes because we can do all the things we can to get the information out, but you kind of have to meet people where they are."

Funkey isn’t the only one getting his feet wet in a new role, as the city just elected a new Mayor and four city council members, who directly work with the City Administrator.

"At the level where I am where I'm dealing with department heads and I'm interacting with the leadership team for the city, the fact that they are talented and experienced individuals has made my transition much easier." said Funkey.

Funkey says the biggest strength of the city right now is the city staff, who he commended for all the behind the scenes work they do.