I am not too proud to admit being mistaken and heaven knows I’ve had plenty of opportunities during the recent election season to acknowledge as much.

For instance, Donald J. Trump is going to become president of the United States over my intense belief that he didn’t have a prayer of defeating Hillary Rodham Clinton.

What do I know?

Accordingly, I was mistaken in fearing that Amarillo’s City Hall turmoil would make it next to impossible for the city to attract top-drawer candidates for the job of city manager. One critic of my blog sought to put words in my mouth by asserting I said the city would fail miserably in that effort. I actually didn’t make that prediction.

My fear was aimed at the potential for failure.

https://highplainsblogger.com/2016/11/atkinson-lands-on-his-feet-amarillo-still-on-the-deck/

This is a case — unlike the presidential election example — where I am glad to have been wrong in my speculation.

Amarillo had drawn a candidate pool of around 30 applicants. The City Council then culled that pool down to five finalists, whose names were announced this week.

I’ve had a chance to pore through the resumes that were posted at Amarillo.gov and I find these individuals to be — to a man — seemingly qualified to become Amarillo’s chief administrator.

The council has been debating among its members about how it will decide on a salary for whomever council members select. Do they offer a salary or do they negotiate with the individual chosen based on the person’s experience? I’ll wait for another day to possibly offer a comment.

Today, though, I want to offer an ever-so-humble mea culpa.

My optimism is being restored a little bit at a time that the council will find someone who can do the tough job of shepherding the city through its myriad changes and challenges.

I don’t like being wrong about the city’s ability to find a good crop of candidates. Liking it is far different from acknowledging it — and I acknowledge my error with a healthy dose of hope that Amarillo can continue its journey toward a brighter future.