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Residents press La Marque council on code enforcement, water billing and allegations against a councilmember
Summary
Several public commenters urged stronger code enforcement and better park upkeep, a mobile‑home park owner reported a $14,000 water bill and called for individual metering, and two speakers made public allegations against Councilman Lowry involving harassment and an AI‑altered photo; the council did not adjudicate those allegations at the meeting.
Multiple residents used the citizens‑participation period at the April 1 La Marque City Council meeting to press the council on long‑standing code enforcement and maintenance issues, and to air serious allegations about an elected official.
Parks and enforcement: Speakers including Haley Winkelman, Shaday Williams, Rashad Loftis and Jackie Pennington urged the city to inspect neighborhood parks for missing mulch and maintenance needs and to enforce code more effectively. Council members and staff acknowledged the complaints, described ongoing and planned cleanups, and committed to follow‑up; public works was asked to report back on specific locations and maintenance schedules.
Mobile‑home park billing: Ray Lotfi, who identified himself as the managing member and owner of Gulf Breeze Mobile Home Park, said the park received a single main water bill for roughly $14,000 and asked that the city begin reading and charging individual unit meters rather than billing the park’s master meter to avoid imposing unsustainable costs on residents, many of whom are on fixed incomes. Staff in the meeting indicated the city manager would follow up to investigate meter reads and billing procedures.
Allegations and heated statements: Two speakers made direct accusations concerning Councilman Lowry. Robert Harvey alleged repeated harassment and use of fake social‑media accounts tied to Lowry and his wife; John Cobarruvias alleged an AI‑modified photograph of a newborn had been posted and attributed that action to Lowry. Both speakers urged accountability; the presiding officer cautioned about decorum and emphasized First Amendment protections for public comment. The transcript does not record a formal response from the named councilmember nor any council‑level investigation resolved during the meeting.
What council did: Council heard the comments, reminded the public of process limits (no council deliberation on comments under the Texas Open Meetings Act), and accepted the record of comments. Several councilmembers directed staff to follow up on specific operational complaints (metering, park maintenance, illegal dumping protocols and pickup) so the factual issues could be resolved administratively.
Source: Meeting transcript, La Marque City Council, April 1, 2026.
