Wilmer City Council notes - November 6, 2008

by Staff of Wilmer Public Citizen

The November 6 City Council Meeting was again, quite interesting and somewhat puzzling. Surprisingly, former Mayor and current Ellis County Resident Don Hudson showed up to attend the proceedings as a member of the audience. Former council member and mayoral candidate Teresa Bain also was in attendance.

Mayor Pro Tem Matias Leal called to the meeting to order at 7:30PM with councilman Eugene Lowe giving the invocation. First two orders of business: approving the minutes of the last meeting and paying the bills for the preceding period were approved unanimously. As is becoming a modern tradition, Tiny Lange and Marlena Dyess traded motions and seconds on these and every other agenda action item.

The council adjourned for 5 minutes before reconvening in Executive Session to discuss the appointments of a new police dispatcher (Teri Cohen), a new city secretary (Alice Holloway) and a new City Administrator. A half hour later the group met in open session again, (without actually reconvening the meeting) and continued with actions as necessary from the executive session. Teri Cohen was "reinstated" as police dispatcher, overriding the mayor's firing (who the mayor was at the time was a point of discussion among the audience). Alice Holloway was appointed as City Secretary, with Eugene Lowe voting NO and stating he wanted to make a point of the reason for his NO vote. Nothing was said of the City Administrator appointment, prompting the audience to ask specifically what had transpired before adjournment. A supposed city attorney that wasn't afforded the consideration of an introduction ("Doofus" seems an appropriate moniker), stated that the council was under no obligation to discuss the results of any items considered in executive session when no action was required, even though those subjects were clearly detailed in the agenda.

The high point of the meeting was the acceptance of a bid for a much needed new ambulance for the Fire Department. The motion passed unanimously and Marlena Dyess asked that Fire Chief Marcus Smith describe the purchase - it's a brand new 4 wheel drive unit capable of responding to airplane crashes (first class).

With Former Mayor (and Ellis County resident) Don Hudson watching the proceedings, Marlena Dyess nominated Tiny Lange for appointment as Mayor. We missed the second, apparently from Matias Leal, and the vote was called. The measure failed with Lange not voting, Leal and Dyess FOR and Lowe and Dean Rolison AGAINST. The attorney stated that the current situation with Mayor Pro Tem Matias Leal acting as mayor would continue.

Tiny Lange gave a report for the "Wilmer Water Advisory Board", which remained an unnamed and unidentified entity, presented no written material, and held no open meetings announced publicly. She stated that Wilmer could get water from Dallas for $1.47 via Mike Rader's pipe through Hutchins, but that a direct pipe with flow meter on Wilmer city property would cost the taxpayers a bit over $3 million and would have to be donated to the City of Dallas upon completion. (ED NOTE: We could not remember any appointment of a "Wilmer Water Advisory Board" occurring at any deliberations open to the public).

Mayor Pro Tem Matias Leal adjourned the meeting at 8:30PM. Allen Group Leslie Jutzi congratulated the council after the meeting for no apparent reason.

One interesting aside that occurred before the meeting: activist Lorrie McDonald opened a door to the storage room containing allegedly public records and snapped a photograph before being "shut out" by the interim City Administrator. A police officer was prepared to intervene, but his assistance was not required as Ms. McDonald quietly reseated herself after the incident.