Let’s start with the idea that this is not a private meeting where anyone might pop up with random thoughts out of his head unrelated to anything on the agenda, but a public government meeting, with people who have been elected, who have to go through training they know and understand the law about Texas Open Meetings Act and Texas Public Information Act, and should be able to show their certificates to any citizen who asks. Anyone who wants to know what will be covered on a public meeting should always be able to look at the posted agenda and see if there are any items covered they particularly want to know about, or can make plans to attend for. It’s another reason why, if there are presentations, they are listed on the agenda to tell people what the presentation is upcoming with at least *some description of that it is*. For example, at the Somervell County Commissioners meetings, they pretty regularly have presentations by people AND IT IS ON THE AGENDA. (Here are a couple of examples of that – 1 Eddie Gossett 2. 4h Club experience For items that are not on the agenda, but someone wants to speak, they can, with the exception of different govt entity Somervell County Commissioners Court, do a public comment, which section is on the agenda, and can be about everything (perhaps this is why Somervell County Commissioners Court quit putting that on the agenda and allowing people to speak on items not on the agenda)
There was nothing that was talked about at the point of the part of the agenda for announcements and presentations, but AFTER the staff reports but before adjournment, Boles decided he needed to make a statement for everyone to watch the presidential debate, while pretending it was not a political thing to say.Not on the agenda, including IF IT WAS, anything to indicate he was going to say this, so that people who might presumably be interested in hearing pearls of wisdom dropping from the mayor’s mouth could attend and watch him. This was not an announcement pertaining, incidentally, to City of Glen Rose public business (See 2024 Texas Public Information handbook starting on p 29) So this is not only arrogant and frivolous but also violates TOMA.
Rough Transcript
I want to make a comment today and this is no guidance and no suggestion. I am not a politician as mayor, I don’t declare a party. But I would like all of you, I suggest you go home and watch the presidential debate. I believe it’s crucial that all American citizens let their voices be heard. I also believe that we should vote for what you consider the best direction of this country. I personally will not vote based upon the personality or the gender of a candidate. I will vote on the policies, platform, and the directions a candidate espouses to take the country.
Interesting display of hypocrisy
Anyway, personal comment of my own here. I realized the day after I made this clip that this meeting took place BEFORE the presidential debate. I disagree with his view. Yes, it’s important to look at policies-some policies are kooky, like the Project 2025 stuff Trump follows and need to be discussed to make sure the candidate is not lying about them. I do have to wonder what he thought when he saw Trump, who is a convicted felon, has been adjudicated of rape, found liable of fraud in a civil ruling, and continues to have charges against him in a Georgia Rico case, and a federal election interference case, not to mention a documents case on appeal say this
Unless you’re someone that doesn’t respect law and order and wants to actively support a felon, maybe the direction of this country needs to be with someone competent and honest.
P.S. Boles made a point of conducting a prayer himself at the beginning of the meeting, a partisan prayer that treated the meeting room like a church. Don’t know that that points to what politics he has, but one would hope that a person wanting to be seen as pious would vote for people of character.
