KINGSVILLE, Texas — Petitions with enough signatures have been filed seeking the removal of three Kingsville city commissioners amid concerns about their conduct and neglect of responsibilities.
"I think what's best for the city is that they do step down, let people in there who are gonna be here for the city and for the employees as well," said Selina Tijerina, a Kingsville resident.
The petition seeks to remove the following commissioners: Norma Nelda Alvarez (Place 2), Hector Hinojosa (Place 3), and Leo Alarcon (Place 4).
On June 10 of 2024, commissioners and the mayor engaged in an exchange over picking who would be mayor pro tem during a city commissioner meeting. You can click here to watch the exchange. The time stamp is 57:10. Incidents like these prompted residents like Tijerina to take action.
"Watching the city council meetings or the city commission meetings, you get to see in there how they argue and bicker like children," Tijerina said.
Tijerina filed for a recall election on May 6, demanding the removal of the commissioners involved. KRIS 6 did an open records request and obtained the document, which cites the following reasons as to why she and other residents seek the removal of the city commissioners:
- Unprofessional conduct/behavior of a City Commissioner
- Neglect of fiscal responsibilities
- Targeting personnel
- Neglect of City Government policies and procedures
"It's like wait a minute, why are we arguing about who's gonna be in charge? Why are we not fighting for the community and for the people who live here," Tijerina said.
The city secretary received the petition on June 6. According to Kingsville's Charter Article II, Section 24, a petition must have signatures from at least 20% of qualified voters from the most recent election.
According to the recent city commission agenda, there were 1,412 votes in the latest election. 20% of those votes is 282.4. In Tijerina’s petition, 292 certified signatures were collected, meeting the requirement.
"When we went into going and receiving signatures and asking people for signatures, it was really shocking and surprising to see how many city employees wanted to reach out and sign, but they were very afraid because they were being afraid of being targeted," Tijerina said.
The three commissioners now face two options. They either resign by June 28. If they don't, commissioners will discuss holding a recall election at their next meeting.
"We're a beautiful city, I think we have a lot to offer, and I think that it definitely would appeal to us to have a city commission who's in there to work to get the city back to what it used to be," Tijerina said.
KRIS 6 attempted to contact city officials for comment, visiting City Hall on Wednesday, leaving a voicemail for the city secretary, and sending emails to the three commissioners, the city secretary, and the interim city manager. As of this report, there has been no response. City Hall was closed on Thursday, June 19, for a federal holiday.
City leaders will further discuss this matter at their next meeting on Monday, June 23.
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