Residents urge Kingsville commissioners to set aside 'pettiness' and focus on services

Two residents used the May 12 public-comment period to press the Kingsville City Commission to focus on municipal services and to address perceived internal discord.

Lisa Bachholt, who identified herself as a Kingsville resident since 1989, said she was "genuinely concerned" about what she described as dissension among commissioners. Bachholt told the commission she expected elected officials to concentrate on "streets, strays, water, infrastructure, code enforcement, and being good fiscal stewards of our tax dollars," and read a Woman's Club passage urging leaders to "put away pettiness" and "meet each other face to face without self pity and without prejudice." She concluded by asking the commission to put the community's interests first.

A second public comment from Michelle Lerma (310 Cecil Avenue) was read into the record by staff. Lerma's statement criticized repeated "displays of unprotected behavior" by the commission that, she said, "hinder our city's progress and undermine public trust." The comment questioned whether voters care about internal leadership disputes, criticized the time spent debating who should serve as mayor pro tem, and called out the decision not to renew the city manager's contract without a publicly stated rationale. Lerma wrote that the city is paying severance to the departing city manager while also compensating an interim appointee who, she said, "lacks the appropriate qualifications," and characterized that situation as fiscally irresponsible and detrimental to government operations. She urged commissioners to "set aside personal agendas, restore professionalism, and begin working collaboratively for the benefit of our community."

No formal responses from the commissioners to these public comments are recorded in the transcript. The comments were read during the public-comment portion of the meeting and took place before the consent and regular agenda votes.