Princeton City Manager Mike Mashburn gave no reason for his abrupt resignation in the email he sent Monday, Dec. 8, just before the City Council was set to meet.
Mashburn was hired in January 2024 after longtime manager Derek Borg resigned in October 2023.
During Mashburn’s tenure, the city was named the fastest-growing city in the U.S., by percentage, and council imposed a 14-month moratorium on new residential construction that expired in November.
His administration was criticized following the September 2024 repeal of the ordinance authorizing winter quarter averaging of wastewater bills, resulting in nearly $1 million in refunds.
Before coming to Princeton, Mashburn has been deputy city manager of Farmers Branch since 2022 and had previously served as director of parks and recreation there.
After accepting his resignation, council approved the hiring of former Sunnyvale Town Manager Jeff Jones to serve as an alternate city manager during the search for a permanent replacement for Mashburn.
Mayor Eugene Escobar Jr. said the city would cast a wide net for qualified applicants.
“To get Princeton where it needs to be, we need someone who has taken a city like ours and helped transform it into a well-run, thriving and beautiful community,” he said. “This position will require extreme dedication, discipline and leadership to get us over this hump and we owe it to the people of Princeton to get it right.”
Here is the complete text of Mashburn’s letter, obtained by The Princeton Herald through an open records request:
December 8, 2025
Dear Members of the City Council,
Please accept this letter as my formal resignation as City Manager of the City of Princeton, effective immediately.
I remain grateful to those who originally brought me aboard and entrusted me with this responsibility. During my tenure, I’ve had the privilege of helping advance the city’s long-term planning framework, achieved a double bond upgrade, began implementation of the $109 million parks and library bond, among many other notable accomplishments; I am proud of the dedication and hard work of our departments and staff that have laid the groundwork for future success.
It has been an honor to serve the community, and I genuinely appreciate the support of all who contributed their time and effort toward our shared goals. I wish each of you only the best going forward.
Respectfully,
Michael Mashburn
City Manager
City of Princeton, Texas