Tuesday’s regularly scheduled Odessa City Council work session was cancelled due to the lack of a quorum. Mayor Javier Joven and council members Mark Matta, Denise Swanner and Greg Connell were absent from the meeting.
The city council had been scheduled to discuss the use of ARPA funds, an employee compensation study and the performance of Odessa City Manager Michael Marrero and four other council-appointed employees.
Councilmen Steve Thompson, Gilbert Vasquez and Chris Hanie were on the dais ready to go along with Marrero, City Attorney Natasha Brooks and City Secretary Norma Aguilar-Grimaldo at 3 p.m. and many in the standing-room-only crowd were murmuring about the absence of the others long before Thompson announced the cancellation of the highly anticipated meeting.
Typically all council members are seated long before their meetings are scheduled to begin.
“For whatever reason we do not have a quorum so this meeting will not happen. Thanks for your attendance. I’m sorry for your time,” Thompson said.
Evergreen Solutions was expected to update the council on its employee compensation study and the city was also supposed to talk about how to spend American Rescue Plan Act money. In addition, the council was scheduled to discuss re-evaluating Marrero, Judges Keith Kidd and Carlos Rodriguez, City Secretary Norma Aguilar-Grimaldo and City Attorney Natasha Brooks.
The five council appointees were just evaluated in October and Thompson said last week he suspects a majority of the council want to fire Marrero and the other appointees were put on the agenda as “window dressing.” Joven, Swanner, Matta, Hanie and Vasquez did not return calls or texts seeking comments on Marrero last week.
On Tuesday evening, Joven wrote in an email he was unaware of the cancellation, but had advised Aguilar-Grimaldo late Monday he’d be unable to make the meeting.
The mayor said his 92-year-old father is suffering from numerous serious health issues and was recently released from the hospital.
“(We’re) making home health care arrangements as we speak because of his severe failing health. Asking for prayers,” Joven wrote.
Swanner did not return a phone call. Connell said he had a previous engagement and that he had informed the city secretary he would be absent.
Marrero declined to comment Tuesday and Brooks said she had no advance notice any of the council members wouldn’t be in attendance. Aguilar-Grimaldo didn’t return a phone call.
Matta expressed his surprise about the cancellation, but said he notified Aguilar-Grimaldo he would be unable to make the meeting due to a work obligation. The oil/gas supply house account manager is working on a big project out of town, he said.
“The council doesn’t pay and this does so sometimes I’ve got to choose what’s better for me right now,” Matta said. “Right now I have to get this done for a big customer and this isn’t my first meeting that I’ve missed.”
