None of the three Odessa City Council members up for re-election in November are running again.
District 3’s Detra White, District 4’s Tom Sprawls and District 5’s Mari Willis have all announced they intend to step down at the end of their first term in November.
Each of the three said they want to spend more time with family and friends.
Over the last three and a half years she got to know a lot of people she had heard of, but hadn’t met and that was probably one of the most enjoyable parts of her job, White said.
“The vast majority of the people were sincere in their love of Odessa and I loved that,” White said.
She also said she was proud to be a part of the city that showed its mettle during three major crises, the mass shooting in 2019, the heavy freeze in February 2022 and last week’s waterline break.
Willis, too, said she’s made a lot of great friends over the last few years.
“I’m so thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to just serve on city council,” Willis said. “I’ve learned a lot. I’ve made great friends. Hopefully I’ve helped the city in so many ways. You know, we’ve had some great projects we’ve got, the animal control shelter, the master plans, we’ve got the water treatment plant that’s going to be coming up in two years and we’ve got Floyd Gwin Park. We’re working on our infrastructure. We’ve had some great challenges financially and we’re hitting those as we can, and doing, I think, a very good job. We’ve had some very good positives in this past four years. It’s been great.”
Packets for those interested in running for an open spot on the council can pick them up at City Hall. The first day to file is July 25.
