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Resident Cornell Benford II presses Glenn Heights council on private swearing-in
Summary
Resident and former mayor pro tem Cornell Benford II told the Glenn Heights City Council that newly elected members were sworn in on Nov. 21 without public notice, an agenda, or livestreaming and asked the council to publicly clarify and correct any transparency lapses.
Cornell Benford II, a resident and former mayor pro tem, urged the Glenn Heights City Council on Monday to explain why newly elected members were sworn in in private in late November, saying residents were denied notice and the opportunity to observe the ceremony.
Benford cited an internal city-manager email sent about 4:17 p.m. the day of the ceremony and said the oath was administered around 3:30 p.m. “For a city whose newly elected members ran on a platform of transparency, the fact that this very first official act was conducted privately and without public awareness is troubling,” he said. He also told the council the city’s website still did not list the newly sworn members a week after the event and asked the council to acknowledge and correct any transparency issues.
Benford asked for a public answer on whether the late-November swearing-in had been properly posted and said clarifying the record would help maintain public trust. The council took no immediate action in response to his remarks during the meeting.
