Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Former Assistant City Administrator FIRED

Former Assistant City Administrator Bobbie Jo Martinez was terminated from her position today. Ms. Martinez is the daughter of former City Secretary Crystol Birdwell.

Sources at City Hall would not confirm or deny the story directly and referred our inquiry to the mayor. Mayor Hudson did accept our call and confirmed that Ms. Martinez was given a letter of termination this morning. Mayor Hudson also confirmed that Ms. Martinez had been removed as Assistant City Administrator at the time Ms. Birdwell was terminated and held the water department clerk position at the time of her termiation.

Update: Readers were quick to point out that City Secretary Crystol Birdwell remains on administrative leave without pay and has not been terminated nor had a hearing before the City Council.

We have also been informed that the City Council action some months ago naming Ms. Martinez as Assistant City Administrator was accompanied by a budget amendment that formalized the position. Also, Ms. Martinez was never formally notificed of her reassignment to water department clerk as Mayor Hudson indicated. It is unknown at present whether Ms. Martinez' termination process included the appropriate hearings and/or other City Council actions in order to be effective.

1 comment:

Wisdoms Pearl said...

I am reading these and will be taking courses as they are offered.

If you are blogging, then you should read these so that you are blogging from a legal point of view and not from gut-feelings and hearsay.

A list of people who would like to take these courses need to get the local librarian to start a list of interested citizens. Then, we can get an instructor to come out here and conduct classes. If we know the law, then we have the weapons and armor with which to fight intelligently.

Here are the Manuals that everyone blogging needs to get and these are availabe from the OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL:

1) Public Officer: TRAPS for the Unwary (A good introduction to what might seem ok but is not ok)
2) Texas Ethics, Gift & Honorarium Laws Made Easy (It what you cannot do, not a how to book) This should be the first one read by any Public Official.
3) OPEN MEETINGS 2008 HANDBOOK and Video (Includes Open Meeting along with Closed Meetings)
4) THE 2008 OPEN MEETINGS ACT MADE EASY
5) PUBLIC INFORMATION 2008 HANDBOOK and VIDEO
6) PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT MADE EASY
7) TEXAS DUAL OFFICE HOLDING LAWS MADE EASY
8) 2006 TEXAS CONFLICTS OF INTREST LAWS MADE EASY ... Being updated but still in effect. COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR, have you read this one at all. The new one has fangs and not just teeth.
9) 2006 TEXAS NEPOTISM LAWS MADE EASY ... Being update but still in effect. THIS ONE SHOULD BE A MUST...ESPECIALLY BY THE COUNCIL.
10) 2008 EMINENT DOMAIN MADE EASY