NAVASOTA CITY COUNCIL TO POTENTIALLY HIRE NEW CITY MANAGER THURSDAY

  

The Navasota City Council is set to hold a special meeting tomorrow (Thursday) to possibly move forward with naming a new city manager.

The council’s decision to name Theo Melancon as the finalist for the Navasota position has led to intense discussion in the community, with many citizens attending the February 24^th meeting to voice concerns about his past tenure as the city manager for the City of Dickinson.  Ultimately, the council ended up taking no action that night on an employment agreement with Melancon, but tomorrow’s meeting could end with an offer. 

Since that meeting, the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME) has filed an ethics complaint against former Navasota City Manager Jason Weeks, alleging he made social media comments that criticized Navasota’s choice for the position.  The AAME claims that Weeks, who is a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), violated their code of ethics by making the negative comments against another city manager.

Meanwhile, a new organization by the name of Citizens to Keep Navasota Texas Great says it has submitted its own complaint against Melancon and his advocate, Joe Turner.  The group argues the two have engaged in unethical behavior and violated ICMA standards, claiming Turner utilized various media sources to “destroy the credibility” of those skeptical of Melancon and that Melancon has not distanced himself from Turner.  Additionally, the group contends that Weeks has remained in compliance with ICMA ethics.

Melancon is a founding member of AAME and a member of ICMA, while Turner is the founder and CEO of AAME.  Weeks currently serves as the city manager for Mineral Wells.

The City of Navasota says councilmembers have sought out more information since their February 24^th meeting, and that the city’s search firm, Clear Career Professionals, has performed additional work to provide more details about the selection process, including what led to Melancon being selected as the finalist.  It says, “This is a decision that carries significant weight, and the council is dedicated to a thorough and informed process.”

The city also notes that Citizens to Keep Navasota Texas Great is an independent organization and is not affiliated with the city.

Public comments will be taken at the beginning of tomorrow’s city council meeting, which will be held at 6 p.m. at Navasota City Hall and streamed live on the city’s YouTube channel.