Public commenters dispute removal of volunteer as council appoints replacement

Mayor called a regular meeting of the Henderson City Council and opened the first public-comment period, where two speakers raised concerns about the removal of a volunteer from a city advisory committee. Angelo Carvalho said the way volunteers are treated matters and urged transparent processes. "Volunteers do not get paid... They deserve to be treated with transparency and respect," Carvalho said during his three-minute public comment.

Patsy Zimmerman, who identified herself as a member of the Henderson Community Education Advisory Committee, told the council she did not resign and disputed a staff communication that said she had confirmed a resignation by phone. "I want to state clearly no phone conversation ever took place, and I did not resign," Zimmerman said, describing the only prior contact as a text message asking for clarification and a later request to submit a resignation email that she never sent.

Council then considered Item 59, a staff-recommended motion, introduced by Councilwoman Monica Larson, to remove Zimmerman as Larson's appointee to the Henderson Community Education Advisory Board and to appoint Jennifer Maddox to that seat. Larson said she had asked staff to place the item on the agenda and described the appointment as filling a need for middle-school representation: "Jennifer is a longtime educator and currently serves as assistant principal to Del Webb Middle School," Larson said.

One councilmember suggested a path to preserve Zimmerman's involvement by making her the councilmember's appointee in a separate posting process; staff and the mayor noted such a change would require placement on a future agenda and follow normal posting procedures. Despite Zimmerman's statements that she did not resign and public appeals for fairness, the council voted to approve Larson's removal and appointment; the clerk announced the motion by Councilwoman Larson carried with all members voting in favor.

The exchange foregrounded a procedural dispute: Zimmerman and a public commenter argued for correction of the public record and more transparent handling of volunteer removals, while the council relied on its statutory appointment authority and the agenda item process. Councilmembers noted an option existed to address appointments on a future posted agenda if they wished to pursue reappointment through the required public process.

The council proceeded to other agenda items after the vote; there was no formal reversal of the removal during the meeting.