Council schedules pre-trial hearings after extended public comment on removal petition

The City Council set procedural dates and appointed special counsel after a large public-comment period focused on a citizen petition to remove Mayor Plet Wardo.

Public commentary spanned opposing views: some residents urged enforcement and transparency around alleged FEMA- or procurement-related irregularities they described as misconduct; other speakers warned against politicizing removal and urged deference to election results. Petition organizers and many residents said they had collected thousands of signatures and sought charter-based removal procedures; opponents called the effort a political campaign against elected officials. The council heard both perspectives during a prolonged public-comment session.

Procedural steps taken: the council voted to appoint attorney Terry Shamsy as special counsel to advise on evidentiary and procedural issues related to the planned pre-trial hearing. The mayor moved and council voted to schedule pre-trial hearing dates; council set May 27 and June 2, 2026 for pre-trial matters and directed petitioners’ counsel and the mayor’s counsel to confer and coordinate scheduling and to file witness lists, scope and exhibits with the city secretary ahead of the June 2 session. The council also recessed into executive session for legal consultation under Texas Government Code sections cited in the meeting.

What to expect: parties were directed to produce witness lists (including expert-designations), identify anticipated durations for each witness and label exhibits before the June 2 pre-trial hearing. The council’s actions were procedural — establishing counsel and case-management steps — and do not dispose of the underlying allegations.

Context and next steps: multiple speakers during public comment specifically asked the council to follow the charter and legal process. The council’s scheduling motions were framed as an effort to ensure orderly adjudication of allegations and to allow counsel adequate time to prepare; the hearings are scheduled before the next regular council meeting so council has time to receive legal briefing and handle evidence matters as required by local charter processes.