The Municipal Development District and city of Rockdale have received notice concerning the MDD board’s dismissal Oct. 5 of Kara Clore as executive director of the MDD on Monday.
Clore, being represented by Watson Legal of Cameron, is seeking a “posttermination public due process hearing” immediately, within the next 10 to 14 days (the letter is dated Oct. 26), in addition to the following: (1) Written notice of the charges against my client; (2) Written explanation of the District’s evidence; and (3) Fair opportunity for my client to present her side of the story and call and cross-examine witnesses, including council members/directors.
“If you fail to respond to my office within three days providing specifics for this hearing, we will file suit in District Court for specific relief to vindicate and secure the right to this hearing,” the letter said.
At a Sept. 25 meeting, the Rockdale City Council voted to name the council members as the new board members of the MDD.
“At the council meeting on Friday, the city council chose to exercise their authority under Chapter 377 of the Texas Local Government Code to recall the MDD board members and appoint the city council to the MDD board,” Mayor John King wrote in an email to The Reporter after the meeting.
After the announcement of the new MDD board, Clore said, “I am looking forward to working with the new board to better the economic growth of the Rockdale community.”
Then Oct. 5, the MDD board voted 5-2 to release Clore from her position for lack of responsiveness, and irresponsibility among other reasons. The letter also questions the validity of the called meeting saying “...the notice for the Oct. 5, 2020 hearing was not posted on the District website until Oct. 13 and is not on the city’s website.”
The letter further states, “Although a separate matter, we also intend to file suit after 30 days for all other claims. Council members accused my client of hiding something when the better question is about what council members are hiding. If city officials, and by extension the district, continue to deny my client’s due process rights and property interests, we do eventually intend to expose the many conflicts existing between district and city contracts and demonstrate why this was a sham for city council to take more power and control district monies.”
“Unfortunately at this time I am unable to provide any comment concerning this matter,” Michelle Larkin, the MDD board president, said in an email to The Rockdale Reporter.
However, the MDD board met Monday night and directed Larkin and Jeff Ullmann, a lawyer, to come up with a response to the letter from Watson Legal.
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