In the last regular council meeting, the majority of city council members supported a motion to stay as status quo, meaning they were not going to fill the vacant position of mayor. This is a position many cities take whenever they are without a mayor, especially whenever they are so close to a general election.

Bullard's general election is in May.

It is in question whether the status-quo motion was actually legal because it was not on the agenda, even though the motion was voted on. Instead, what was on the agenda was to fill a vacancy by appointment and then to act upon a special election.

After Mayor Pro Tem Rodger Johnson failed to receive the majority of the vote during the motion to elect a mayor, Councilwoman Pam Frederick made a motion to stay the same, to not make changes. Councilman Lindsey Bradley, Johnson and Frederick supported the motion.

The next motion was to discuss and act upon a special election. Frederick made a motion to strike it from the agenda. The same three voted to strike the special election from any discussion. Councilwoman Stacey Thompson and Teresa Adams- Wilks voted to keep the item on the agenda.

However legal it was for the council to pass the motion that was not on the agenda, it meant that a special election was out of the question. The only way a special election can be valid during a vacancy of office is when the council cannot reach an agreement and when 26 voters sign a petition to call an election.

This is even up for debate. A representative from the Texas Municipal League said the call to special election during a vacancy is rarely used, because it can only be used when a city council is "paralyzed," or when they do not even have enough council members for a majority vote. However City Attorney Charlie Morton disagreed in a document circulated to the city council and staff. He said the law is clear, and if the citizens file a petition while the council cannot agree on a vacancy, then a call to special election is legal.

But let's be honest. What is in question is not whether a special election would be legal under the circumstances. Nor is the question whether the council acted legally when they voted on the status-quo motion. The question is whether the council addressed voters' concerns.

The answer is no. The voters were ignored in the Aug. 13 meeting.

The city council had learned about the petition shortly after it was filed with the county. Johnson told the Bullard Banner News editor that he knew of the petition, as did the rest of the council. But yet, the petition signed by 30 or more voters was not mentioned at all in the city council meeting, nor was a special election.

The Bullard Banner News does not understand why a council would ignore voters. If the majority was scared a general election could hurt them in the long run, then that is a red flag that they need to reevaluate their relationships with voters.

Maybe the council wanted to prevent bad news from leaking to the press and the pubic. Maybe they did not think the petition was legal, therefore they did not feel the need to discuss it. Who knows what the reason is, but the fact remains that the majority ignored the petition.

The majority should have said publicly, which is what they could have done in the meeting, "We understand certain voters are concerned about the current track of the city, and we want to work with them. We want to find out what is bothering them, after all we serve them. And as the new leadership of the council, we will work diligently to address citizens needs."

But instead the petition was swept under the rug. The majority acts like what they did was completely justified because they acted under the law. But following the law is not the only thing these elected officials do. They also represent you.

The Bullard Banner News strongly urges the community to call a Bullard city council person or city hall, and tell them your concerns about this issue and anything else you are facing. It is imperative that the council receives direct feedback from you.

Number to Bullard City Hall,

(903) 894-7223