I have been following the recent actions of our City Council with dismay. The unwillingness of the council to specify why they terminated the city manager and city attorney is disturbing.
The mayor’s letter indicating that only part of the council was getting information doesn’t seem worthy of termination especially if that is the reason and the three new members of the council have only been on the job for a few days.
How do they know what is not being provided, if anything, when asked?
Then there is the question of the contract with T2 Consulting. That doesn’t seem to pass the smell test since from what I can see it is in violation of the Vernon Civil Statutes regarding consulting contracts.
I looked them up on the web and could only find where they had been started last year. There was another T2 consulting but their expertise seems to be in parking. I would like to know who these people are that according to the mayor have over a hundred years of experience and what that experience is in since none is listed.
Our city charter specifies we are to be a city that has a council to set policy and a city manager and department heads to carry it out. That doesn’t seem to be the case right now and that is a shame. I am sure our now former city manager and attorney will soon find employment at probably higher pay. Their departure is our loss. There is a lesson here for the people of Odessa to learn. I hope we learn it well.
Charles Cotten
Odessa
