Keene Council Accepts Mayor Lisa Parish’s Resignation; Mayor Pro Tem Samantha Gillen Named Acting Mayor

The Keene City Council voted to accept Mayor Lisa Parish’s resignation, effective Jan. 16, 2026, and endorsed Mayor Pro Tem Samantha Gillen to serve as acting mayor until the next general election on Nov. 3, 2026. Council members moved and seconded the action and approved it by voice vote.

Council leaders thanked Parish for her service during brief remarks after the vote, and the city manager said the city will arrange a reception to recognize her departure. No public roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting minutes; the motion was approved by the council’s voice vote.

The resignation was introduced earlier in the meeting during opening announcements and placed on the agenda for formal consideration. Until a new mayor is elected in November, Gillen will perform the duties of mayor as acting mayor, the council said.

The council also discussed related administrative housekeeping earlier in the meeting, including removing Lisa Parish as a signatory on city bank accounts and adding the city manager and city secretary as signatories on the TWDB account; the consent agenda containing those items was approved by voice vote.

The council recessed into executive session later in the meeting to discuss personnel matters under Texas Government Code section 551.074 and returned to take the actions recorded above. The meeting adjourned at 9:01 p.m.