An employee with the City of Odessa’s billing and collections department has been named the interim executive director of Downtown Odessa.
According to a news release from the city, Elizabeth Prieto has been in the billing department for 14 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in public administration, both from the University of Texas Permian Basin.
She is bilingual and “has built strong relationships with many of the city’s departments, outside agencies and the community,” the release stated.
Prieto is taking the seat left vacant Jan. 29 when Casey Hallmark turned in her two-week notice and was told her services were no longer needed.
In her resignation letter, Hallmark said she didn’t think the current climate was a “good fit” for her and she’s accepted a position elsewhere.
“I was so proud and excited when I was hired for this position just over a year ago. Little did I know this would be the absolute best experience and at the same time the absolute worst,” Hallmark wrote.
Hallmark made waves when she twice went before the Odessa City Council and claimed Mayor Javier Joven and City Councilmember Chris Hanie bullied her.
She also filed a formal complaint with the city against Odessa Downtown board member Tisha Crow for calling her a “disgrace” on Facebook. City Human Resource Director Charles Hurst later said Hallmark had no recourse.
She served as executive director of Downtown Odessa for about a year. Hallmark recently announced the nonprofit organization, which is partially funded by the city, made $55,000 last year.
Over the last five years the organization had lost an average of $5,000 annually.
Downtown Odessa is a volunteer-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting downtown through events and recruiting businesses into the area.
