Editorial: Time to move forward with new leaders

A visit to Clarendon’s City Hall by the District Attorney’s investigator. Three resignations of city aldermen. And the complete paralysis of the city’s legislative process. It’s been an interesting month, but now it’s time to figure out how to move forward.

As plans continue to take shape for an election this fall to fill the vacant board positions and get the city council functioning again, it is important to consider the qualities we want in future aldermen. First and foremost, Clarendon deserves aldermen who are committed to following the letter and spirit of the law to conduct the people’s business out in the open.

For the past year, it seemed that there was more happening outside of the council chamber than inside official meetings. Decisions appeared to be predetermined, and some folks – including your editor – believed that the

Texas Open Meetings Act was being side-stepped. All elected officials are supposed to be trained in the requirements of that law, but some still don’t understand it fully. In addition to setting forth the guidelines for posting agendas, conducting meetings, properly holding executive sessions, and other requirements, the law prohibits officials from meeting to conduct official business outside of public meetings.

The law also bans members from meeting in numbers of less than a quorum – through successive meetings, phone calls, or electronic messages – for the purpose of circumventing the act. That’s called a “walking quorum.” In laymen’s terms, Alderman Z cannot call or go see Alderman Y about an issue, formulate a plan, and then call or visit Alderman X in an effort to coordinate their actions or to plan to vote as a block.

In addition to being unfair to the public, violations of the Open Meetings Act can have serious consequences including fines up to $500 and up to six months in jail. Current and future city aldermen and other local elected officials need to be aware that this newspaper will expose them if they violate the law.

The second quality potential aldermen need is the ability to put aside personal feelings and act only in the best interests of the City of Clarendon and its people. The past behavior of the board can most kindly be described as unprofessional. Some would go so far as to say dysfunctional. Your editor has been attending city council meetings for 18 years, and never has the actions of the board been so driven by personal vendettas, animosity, and vindictiveness. Those emotions have no place on an elected board. Working only to thwart the efforts of city employees or participating in witch hunts does nothing to move Clarendon forward. Instead, those actions sully our town’s reputation and stymie progress.

We need aldermen with a vision of what Clarendon can become rather than always harping on the negative. We need men and women who can let the past be the past and focus on the future. We need leaders who want to take Clarendon to new heights instead of holding it down or undermining it. We need people of integrity who will stick with the job with which they have been entrusted and work to bring about solutions to our problems. It’s fine to disagree on some things but not when disagreement devolves into dysfunction.

And we need people who understand some key things. First, we can’t fix this city’s issues by always trying to spend less money. The “poor boy” way doesn’t work. You want better streets? Someone has to pay for it. We’ve got a street project underway on Third and Sixth streets. Let’s make sure it’s done right; and remember, progress can sometimes be an inconvenient mess while it’s happening.

Second, someone needs to be in charge and that person’s authority needs to be clear. It just doesn’t make sense to have a million-dollar operation with 18 employees and try to run it with a five-member committee meeting twice a month. It’s not 1980 anymore. We need a boss, we need a good code compliance officer, and we need to act professionally. Some people will get their toes stepped on, but it will be okay and Clarendon will be the better for it.

And finally, we need leaders and citizens who will concentrate on the good things about Clarendon and seek to build upon our assets. There are a lot of positive things happening here – some are the result of actions taken by our former city administrator, some are due to the efforts of our Economic Development Corporation, some are the result of just plain old hard work and determination of our citizens, businesses, and city employees, and some are the blessings of divine Providence.

Clarendon controls its own destiny; and if we can put aside petty politics, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. Instead of looking at what other communities have and pining for it, we need to bring those things here. We need to work for more jobs, more amenities, more businesses, and a better quality of life. Together, we can do that. But to make it happen, we all have to start rowing this boat in the same direction and stop working against each other.