By David Taylor / Managing Editor
Less than 48 hours after Esmeralda Moya was ousted as mayor of Galena Park, residents have reported out of the ordinary incidents occurring at city hall.
Sunday night, a witness watched as Jorge Flores-Pere entered city hall in the middle of the night to presumably pack up his belongings and remove them from his office. “But why in the middle of the night?” witnesses questioned.
City Secretary Mayra Gonzalez abruptly resigned from her office today. Mireles had reached out to her concerning the swearing-in ceremony and the process for the transfer of power but never heard back from her.
“We’re kind of lost with no one available to guide us,” he said. The council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday at 6 p.m. but it appears everyone is abandoning ship.
Moya was seen by witnesses at city hall tonight with her husband behind closed gates taking personal items, but also some other items that were of concern.
“We are certain there were computers and other equipment. We have called the police because we don’t know who else to contact,” Mireles said in a video posted to the internet. “We want some answers,” a familiar refrain throughout the last decade of Moya’s administration. Mireles couldn’t identify if they were her personal computers or from city hall. Without a search warrant, officers allowed her to leave without interruption.
The concern is over Moya’s lack of transparency throughout her administration and her unwillingness to release public documents. Secrecy and avoidance of the public have left Mireles supporters skeptical and something nefarious is underway.
“She shouldn’t be removing anything from city hall except personal belongings,” he said, believing that some of the equipment belonged to the city.
All the things removed were placed into black bags that filled up the backend of the pickup truck they were driving as if to hide the contents.
Today, Mayor-elect Oscar Mireles held informal meetings across the city with the police chief, fire chief, and several other officials including some from the city of Jacinto City to begin getting their footing before the start of the new administration.
Mireles, in an interview with the North Channel Star, said he didn’t know what to expect once they open the books, but feared the worst.
The mayor-elect promised one of his first acts would be to order an audit of all the books for every department to find out exactly where the city is financially.
The city could have canvassed the votes at tomorrow night’s meeting but it was not included on the agenda in time to meet the 72-hour rule for public notification. It’s possible they could call a special meeting or just wait to the meeting on Tuesday, May 17. The city waits.
Leave a Comment: