Splashed across the front page of Sunday’s Eagle– eight days before early voting starts – was an article that seeks to implicate former city manger, and current mayoral candidate, Mary Kaye Moore in wrongdoing. I’m not buying it.
First of all, this is an obvious witch-hunt. Moore was forced to resign by what looks like a block of good old boys who seek to control city politics out of power greed and perhaps a bit of financial greed as well. This block of council members showed up at the press conference announcing Conlee’s candidacy for mayor to give him support. They have been trying to dig up dirt on Moore since they ousted her. They have done this at taxpayer expense, going after anything that they could find, or maybe even manufacture. They have been digging for a long time. That this is what they have come up with is a testament of Moore’s integrity. That the accusations are false is a testament, not just to their lack of integrity, but also their lack of understanding of city government. An audit of any organization, especially one the size of the city of Bryan, is going to turn up things that, in hindsight, might have been done differently. More often than not, this is normal human error and not an indication of wrongdoing.
The city had a long standing working relationship with an attorney that dated back before Moore was city manager. This attorney is used sporadically so a lack of a contract was not caught when a mandate went out for such contracts. And, because the staff was used to dealing with this person, it was assumed later that the contract was in place. An oversight, what organization is without them?.
The other allegation is that Moore was responsible for siphoning off more money from city utilities than is legal to pad the cities general fund. But, as I understand it, this is erroneous. Under the budgets that Moore prepared, and probably those before her, these transfers were under the legal limits. The allegations made against Moore are based on other, completely legal and normal transfers to other departments in the city for services used to run the utilities. The 7% cap is for money that goes into the general fund (beyond the operating expenses of the department) and for payment in lieu of Taxes.
Here is what the Charter says,
"Revenues derived from public utility systems of the city shall be apportioned, as follows:
a. for the operation and maintenance of the utilities;
b. for the extension and improvement of the utility systems;
c. for the liquidation of the indebtedness of the utility systems;
d. for use of the city rights of way, an amount not to exceed seven
percent of gross revenue shall be paid as a transfer to the general fund of the city. The amount of such general fund transfers and any reimbursements to the general fund for services rendered to publicly owned utility systems shall be approved by ordinance.”
Also of interest is the fact that this report was completed in June of last year but managed to find its way to the front page of the paper just a week before voting starts. Regardless of the legality of these transactions within (as in never leaving) the city, the timing of this revelation is sinister. One would like to think that members of the city council, especially the mayor, and the man who wishes to be mayor, would not need so much time understand the laws that they are responsible for upholding. It seems ludicrous that these men would make such an accusation against Moore when the buck stops with them. They passed these budgets. If there was a problem it was their responsibility to make sure that it did not go through. These transfers are contained in the budgets that they passed every year and never said a thing about. This is shameful.
I don’t know how long the Eagle has had this information. Regardless, they published wrong information about a candidate eight days before voting started. They had a serious obligation to get it right.
The irony of this is all the more rich in light of these circumstances:
· The Health Science center deal was such a shadowy conflagration of mistakes and increasing expenditures quickly waved through council with hardly a peep from anyone including the Eagle.
· Jason Bienski got away without recusing himself from a vote on a TIF brought to the council by Chris Peterson, who Bienski paid $8,000.00 to run his campaign for city council.
· The council passes most of its business through consent and statutory agendas with no discussion.
· Many actions seem to be initiated from council without a vote. This creates the appearance of a council operating outside the open meetings laws.
Mary Kaye Moore has run a clean campaign, she has served Bryan well, and she deserves better that this. My sense, as someone who has lived in this community for over 40 years, is that the good people of Bryan will not tolerate this kind of behavior.
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February 19, 2006
Wilkerson: Moore will be missed
By RAY WILKERSON
Eagle Columnist
Bryan residents will have a new city manager to carry them into the future. It's not clear when the new chief executive will sign on, but we should know in several fortnights.
The vacancy was created when Mary Kaye Moore and the City Council agreed last week to part ways. The decision was not unexpected. Moore endured a most difficult year in her personal life with the loss of her husband, and how could anyone not see the growing schism between the city manager and members of the council? She'll head into early retirement at the end of the month and consult for the city through year's end.
Looking back on Moore's tenure, one must admire her tenacity, commitment to staff, the integrity she brought to the office and the respect she tendered to the public she served.
Moore returned to the city at a time when city hall was riddled with turmoil, and the town was trying to catch up with the 21st century. Her predecessor left under a cloud of controversy, and the council itself was riddled with such internal conflict that it made Saturday nights at World Wrestling Entertainment seem like child's play.
Along the way, as with any city manager, Moore faced a host of mine fields. She was hired by a mayor who didn't want to be mayor. That mayor was replaced by another mayor who gave all appearances of wanting to be city manager.
In the years that zoomed by, successes followed conflicts - not unusual for a City Council chained to its laissez faire approach to business.
Moore traveled the high road throughout the process, much to my pleasant surprise given the circumstances surrounding her hiring. She reversed my first impressions in short order. She fought for what was right, winning some and losing some. Through it all, the foundation of Moore's being - character and integrity - remained unchecked.
Consider the changes that occurred during her watch:
• The revitalization of downtown, redevelopment of Tejas Center, the growth on the city's west side that was fueled in large part by the resolve of Moore and other city staff to make the Traditions project happen.
• The hiring of Police Chief Mike Strope, a splendid decision that salvaged a fractured department after the failed administration of Ken Burton.
But one need not be blind to see that change was inevitable. Disputes over sick leave policy, hiring of senior staff and more recently the police department's budget provided a front-row seat to the disharmony.
The only question was when. The answer came a few weeks ago during the fuss over the police budget. Statements by Mayor Ernie Wentrcek, Strope and Moore spelled out the differences. Moreover, the various public exchanges provided a universal insight into the mayor's micromanagement, hair-trigger leadership style. Moore is unabashed in the public defense of her staff, and the highly polished Strope is not a shrinking violet.
Moore's defense of the police department illustrated her strengths. She was not afraid to make decisions, and she found no virtue in speaking with political correctness.
For example, Moore didn't believe the city should be stashing taxpayer money into the ill-advised Burton Creek TIF that would line developers' pockets. Her candor didn't sit well with councilmembers who - the public be damned - wanted the deal to go through.
So in a few days Moore will clean out her office and take a well-deserved rest. The City of Bryan is a better place because of her, and she leaves in her wake a gaping leadership void.
• Ray Wilkerson was executive editor of The Eagle.
From Mark Conlee's web page:
"My greatest opportunity to serve the City came just two months into my first year, when the City Council appointed me to chair the newly created Audit Committee. This committee is important because it looks after how your and my money is spent. I'm really proud to chair the committee, and I think this scrutiny will save us thousands of dollars, which can be put to better use in improving the infrastructure of the City and encouraging thoughtful growth."
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