Council cites Tenorio’s record, demeanor as reasons for replacing her on water board

The City Council said Tuesday night council member Daphne Tenorio’s record of consistently opposing actions taken by the board of the Alliance Regional Water Authority coupled with what they described as a lack of decorum on her part during council meetings were reasons to remove her from the ARWA board.

"Your dissent, your voting record shows that you should not be a part of this — the single most important board that keeps our city moving forward," Mayor Pro Tem Shane Arabie told Tenorio during the meeting.

"Council member Tenorio proved, through her actions in the past and tonight, that she was not qualified for that position," Mayor Travis Mitchell said following the meeting.

By a vote of 6-1 (with Tenorio, or course, being in the minority) the council first voted to reconsider the decision it made just two weeks ago to install her as one of Kyle’s representatives on the board that oversees the area’s water supply and, second, to replace her on the board with Mitchell.

"I wanted to bring this item back for two reasons," Mitchell told his colleagues. "First, upon additional reflection and consideration, I wanted to make some additional statements and register a different opinion and, second, council member Arabie currently serves on the ARWA board and he wasn’t present at the last meeting. I think his perspective will be very valuable for us to consider as we move forward with making a board appointment from this body."

Tenorio charged that Mitchell was bringing the item back because he has a personal vendetta against her and rather than subject herself to more personal attacks, she said she would rather simply resign.

""This is nothing more than a personal issue between the mayor and myself," she maintained, "and that should have been left at the door. When a person is elected by the council, that decision should stand."

Arabie told Tenorio her "personal attacks are inappropriate. The fact that you like to attack everybody on the dais is unprofessional and the record could show the personal attacks you pushed towards other people is out there and are very easily seen.

"Now, this is the most important board our city has," Arabie continued. "Its purpose is to provide water for our citizens and our growth and our future for the next 50 years. Water is one of the most important resources that we have. The record will show that the dissent that council woman Tenorio has registered time and time again against this board is the reason why she shouldn’t be a part of it. You’re right. Let the record stand. You’re absolutely correct – your dissent, your voting record shows that you should not be a part of this — the single most important board that keeps our city moving forward. The majority of the council does not believe in your view so, you’re correct, you should not be a part of this board. The fact that you essentially resigned before this discussion — not fighting for your seat — shows that you should absolutely not be part of it. Because, when it comes right down to it, the city needs someone who will fight for them. Your resignation attempt proves you will not do that."

"I’m saddened by the incredibly unprofessional display of temper from council member Tenorio tonight," Mitchell said after the council finally adjourned its meeting 45 minutes after midnight this morning. "It was embarrassing for the council, those present and for the city. We have to be better than that as a council and we need to be better."

Several times during the discussion, Tenorio attempted to interrupt the council member speaking, prompting Mitchell to caution her at one point: "Council member Tenorio, you have not been recognized. You may ask to be recognized by holding up your hand."

"I hold my hand up all the time," she said, as she ratcheted up the volume of the conversation several decibels. "I thought this was a different mayor, but apparently it’s the same mayor with a different name.

"One of the reasons I chose to run for this position was because of the lack of diversity in this organization," Tenorio said. "There is only one woman on the water board. There is only one Hispanic on the water board and there is only one African-American on the water board. Therefore, there is not a majority of diversity of representation of our community. If a new person needs to be nominated, I recommend that the person who is nominated be of a different color and provide some diversity to that board, either it be a different race or it be a different gender."

Which left Tenorio an opening to do just that — nominate someone of a different race and/or gender — but she didn’t. Instead, she tried to interrupt Mitchell again by calling for a vote on the motion even though, according to Roberts Rules of Order, a speaker cannot be interrupted by someone calling the question.

Following the meeting, the mayor said Tenorio’s statements about race and gender disturbed him.

"They really bothered me, deeply," he said. "I am extremely committed to making sure that the city has the best representation regardless of what you look like or what your sex is. That’s just a fact. But, in this case, the qualifications are what win the day. Council member Tenorio proved, through her actions in the past and tonight, that she was not qualified for that position and I believe we made the best decision for the city."

"One of the reasons I wanted to bring this back," Mitchell said during the council meeting, "is because I felt that while a lot of considerations were discussed at the last meeting, that the ultimate decision we have to make is who we feel like is best going to represent this body with a collaborative mind set, who is going to sit on the board and advocate for the water positions so that we can get the most water possible and also who will represent the city’s best long-term interests. In this case, I feel the original consideration we made was not in that best long-term interest."

Tenorio tried to interrupt again, prompting Mitchell to tell her "You may raise your hand if you wish to speak."

Ellison did raise his hand, but Tenorio interrupted and Ellison chose to defer. After Mitchell then recognized Tenorio, she mocked the mayor saying "I’m so glad you shared your qualifications of being here a whole five years and having such a care for our great city over some of us who have dedicated decades of service to this community and to our families and making sure that this city is going the way it needs to go. But I’m some grateful that we have you to lead us because obviously nobody else could do it. So thank you."

Ellison, who was the only council member who wanted Mitchell to be the city’s appointee during the meeting two weeks, said he agreed with the mayor’s statements on qualifications.

"Tonight has proven to me why I did not vote for council member Tenorio for the ARWA board," Ellison said. "We can disagree and that’s fine, but let’s do it respectfully and let’s not interrupt each other and let’s do our best to represent the citizenry of Kyle. We see it throughout all levels of government — things that are really ticking people off with the way government is run — and we don’t have to follow suit with that. Let’s be respectful. Let’s do what’s best for the city. And, in my opinion, what’s best for the city is having the mayor representing us."

After saying Arabie shouldn’t be on the board because he is putting his house on the market in a few months (a claim Arabie said "was news to me"), Tenorio countered by saying, as a newly elected council member, Ellison had not witnessed the personal attacks she has been subjected to during her tenure.

In other action last night, the council:

• Voted 6-1 (Tenorio objecting) to add the provisions contained in the recently enacted Residential Neighborhood Style Guide to the city’s subdivision regulations;
• Voted unanimously to award a $49,895 contract for the first phase of a three-phase dog park to be located in Steeplechase Park and to adopt rules governing appropriate behavior in the park;
• After spending a little more than 40 minutes discussing exactly what the implications of them might be, voted 6-1 to pass on first reading amendments to the city’s ordinances regulating neighborhood fences that Planning Director Howard J. Koontz described as "evolutionary not revolutionary";
• Learned from City Manager Scott Sellers that the probable dates for the council’s two budget retreats this year would be March 24 and July 28; and
• Held an executive session lasting four hours and 10 minutes, most of which was spent interviewing and discussing possible representatives to serve as either city attorney or the legal counsel for the Ethics Commission, Because of the inclement weather, the council offered the candidates the opportunity to appear either during last night’s meeting or in an Executive Session on Feb. 6. All the candidates chose to come to last night’s meeting. That’s not to say the council won’t have a second round of interviews at its next session. (Although the Executive Session’s list of discussion items included "Jesse Espinoza Lawsuit," City Attorney Frank Garza said Espinoza just filed the discrimination lawsuit Friday and the City, possibly because of the Martin Luther King holiday Monday coupled with the inclement weather Tuesday, had yet to be served with the legal papers. Thus, he said, a discussion on the subject did not take place.)