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Resident alleges nepotism in public comment; commission did not take action
Summary
A Harlingen resident used the public-comment period to allege nepotism involving the mayor and a high-paid consultant at Arlington Water Works. The commission did not take action on the allegation during the meeting.
During the citizens-communication period, resident Robert Leftwich addressed the commission with allegations of nepotism involving the city’s mayor and a consultant employed by the Arlington Water Works. Leftwich said the consultant — whom he described as the mayor’s uncle — was paid $20,000 per month, referenced state local-government nepotism provisions and said the city’s hire-the-employee policy and charter prohibit nepotistic hiring.
Leftwich compared Harlingen’s payments to utility directors in larger Texas cities and asserted that the consultant’s high pay had damaged employee morale and the organization’s reputation. He urged the commission to consider the legal and ethical implications. The mayor responded only with a brief acknowledgment, “Thank you, Mister Leftwich,” and the meeting proceeded to its next agenda item. No formal response or investigation was announced at the meeting record.
The statement was received during the public-comment portion of the agenda; commissioners did not deliberate or take action on the allegation at that time, consistent with the meeting’s public-comment rules.
