June 23, 2020
Bandera EDC board members resign
By Jessica Nohealapa'ahi Goode
The Bandera Prophet
Bandera City Council members accepted the resignations of three Bandera Economic Development board members. President Toni Kunz, Vice President Laura Devenport and Member Rhonda Carrell resigned from the board, effective immediately.
“It has been my pleasure to serve on the Bandera Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) under strong leadership and committed board members the majority of the last six years. We set goals, presented new ideas, discussed different approaches and came to conclusions through sharing experiences and a common mindset to build the economic stability of our town for our citizens and our business owners. I have learned a lot, we accomplished a lot and I wish nothing but the same for the current and future members of the board,” Kunz wrote in her resignation letter. “That said, if the last seven months is any indication of the next 17, I feel it is time for me to resign my position, and focus on other areas of my life and community.”
“I am very proud of what the EDC has accomplished in the first two-and-a-half years I served on the EDC. Some of the accomplishments include purchasing land to expand the City Park, selecting an artist to turn a burned-up tree into a piece of art, provided funding to the Public Works Department to expand the disc golf course an additional nine holes and build the new baseball field. The partnering with local business owners for the complete restoration of two original buildings on 11th Street has become a major focal point of town. The numerous facade improvements when driving down Main Street give a new vitality to the entire town. This was accomplished with a board who could work together for a common goal,” Devenport wrote in her resignation letter. “The continuous turmoil in my opinion is not what is in the best interest for the citizens of Bandera. I hope that in the future, the EDC can once again move forward in a positive productive direction.”
City Council Member Rebeca Gibson asked whether it would be appropriate to allow Kunz and Devenport to continue working on ongoing projects to ease the transition through June 30.
“Due to previous meetings, there’s been very little cooperation and I think it will cause more difficulties,” City Council Member Jerry Russe said.
Following a unanimous vote to accept the resignations, Gibson motioned to remove Council Member Lynn Palmer from the BEDC board. Her motion died for lack of a second.
Gibson then motioned to appoint Jerad Wilcox to fill Carrell’s seat, which also died for lack of a second. Her third motion to appoint Mayor Suzanne Schauman carried with a unanimous vote.
“It seems hypocritical for me to even consider doing this because I don’t believe council members should serve on the EDC,” Schauman said, adding she would serve on an interim basis until a full board is appointed.
The remaining BEDC board members are Andrea Jankoski, Lee Correll, Darcy Hasty and Palmer. Applications for the board will be accepted until July 16.
“It has been my pleasure to serve on the Bandera Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) under strong leadership and committed board members the majority of the last six years. We set goals, presented new ideas, discussed different approaches and came to conclusions through sharing experiences and a common mindset to build the economic stability of our town for our citizens and our business owners. I have learned a lot, we accomplished a lot and I wish nothing but the same for the current and future members of the board,” Kunz wrote in her resignation letter. “That said, if the last seven months is any indication of the next 17, I feel it is time for me to resign my position, and focus on other areas of my life and community.”
“I am very proud of what the EDC has accomplished in the first two-and-a-half years I served on the EDC. Some of the accomplishments include purchasing land to expand the City Park, selecting an artist to turn a burned-up tree into a piece of art, provided funding to the Public Works Department to expand the disc golf course an additional nine holes and build the new baseball field. The partnering with local business owners for the complete restoration of two original buildings on 11th Street has become a major focal point of town. The numerous facade improvements when driving down Main Street give a new vitality to the entire town. This was accomplished with a board who could work together for a common goal,” Devenport wrote in her resignation letter. “The continuous turmoil in my opinion is not what is in the best interest for the citizens of Bandera. I hope that in the future, the EDC can once again move forward in a positive productive direction.”
City Council Member Rebeca Gibson asked whether it would be appropriate to allow Kunz and Devenport to continue working on ongoing projects to ease the transition through June 30.
“Due to previous meetings, there’s been very little cooperation and I think it will cause more difficulties,” City Council Member Jerry Russe said.
Following a unanimous vote to accept the resignations, Gibson motioned to remove Council Member Lynn Palmer from the BEDC board. Her motion died for lack of a second.
Gibson then motioned to appoint Jerad Wilcox to fill Carrell’s seat, which also died for lack of a second. Her third motion to appoint Mayor Suzanne Schauman carried with a unanimous vote.
“It seems hypocritical for me to even consider doing this because I don’t believe council members should serve on the EDC,” Schauman said, adding she would serve on an interim basis until a full board is appointed.
The remaining BEDC board members are Andrea Jankoski, Lee Correll, Darcy Hasty and Palmer. Applications for the board will be accepted until July 16.