DESOTO – There were quite a few citizens who spoke at the DeSoto City Council meeting earlier this week.
DeSoto Mayor Rachel Proctor said before comments that citizens were not allowed to speak the normally allocated three minutes and she only gave residents two minutes to voice their comments “for the sake of time.”
Mercy Murchison spoke first regarding the council “irregularity” regarding “the voting that took place for the Mayor Pro Tem with Dr. Marks. I am sure that our council members are aware of the legalities of the voting process. You didn’t follow it. Dr. Marks is legally our Mayor Pro Tem and you revoked that vote.”
Trey Anderson spoke on this topic too stating he came before the council to speak on the “fiasco” concerning the Mayor Pro Tem and he also said no one from the city has been returning his calls also noting Mayor Proctor had not gotten back to him either. He was concerned regarding the consolidation of political power and the attempt to end term limits in 2023 that failed. “We are on to you,” he said, speaking to the council.
Resident Shenita Cleveland spoke and said she stood with citizens regarding the Mayor Pro Tem issue. She reminded Mayor Proctor she had block walked with her adding she sees “lies and deceit” and she said this was never going to go away until it is made right.
Mayor Proctor spoke up after Cleveland’s comments and said her comments were “absolutely false.”
Cleveland spoke to Proctor from the crowd and the Mayor responded “stop with the outburst” she had the right to correct false information. At this point there was conversation from the audience and some minor chaos as the mayor commented “audience please, if we could” and one person in the audience stated loudly “wow.”
Ron Bivens said he has been working elections and works with the Republican Party about there not being stolen elections. “But when I heard nothing from the city attorney” and watched the Mayor Pro Tem vote, he said he heard three times that you can vote for yourself. “The messed up part that the city attorney, the assistant, the deputy, I mean the interim City Manager followed suit,” he stated. Robert’s Rules of Order does not order it like that, not according to the City’s Charter.
Christy Thomas, a DeSoto resident, spoke about a lithium battery facility being discussed in the city. She noted that many residents were not coming forward to speak on this critical project. She said she grew up in West Dallas, where many people were plagued with birth defects due to lead from a nearby battery factory. She said she is concerned about the hazards and environmental issues a battery facility will bring to the city.
Thomas added, “I have noticed we don’t make wise decisions when we talk about the things we want to put in our city.”
She said she was coming forward because she had heard that the city was saying no one was coming forward “Well I am saying something for my citizens and we do not agree with a battery facility to come to our All American City.”
Mayor Proctor responded to this, saying that the city is allowed to legally state “factual information” during public comment. She asked the City Manager to state a piece of information regarding the battery storage facility. It was then stated that the city has not received an application for a battery facility and is, therefore, not able to talk about it.
It was then reiterated that the city has not received any zoning change applications and that the city has informed the applicant that this type of proposed use is not allowed in that zoning district. If it did come up, a public hearing would be necessary.
Faye Gillespie spoke regarding the battery facility. She said when the city does get the application for the battery facility, it needs to “overcommunicate” because “citizens do not want that in our community,” and she added, “people of color deserve better.”
Robi