Did you know that Mayor
Pro-Tem Bryan Miiller ignored a sanctions request on Mayor Virdell?
A few weeks ago, Mayor Pro-Tem Bryan Miiller was
asked to schedule a closed meeting of City Council regarding Mayor
Virdell's violations of the
Llano Code of Conduct for Elected Officials after Mayor Virdell
posted a vulgar and
disrespectful letter to the editor in both Llano newspapers.
Not only did
Mayor Pro-Tem Bryan Miiller not schedule the council conference,
he did not even reply to the citizen who requested the discussion -
nothing, just ignored it completely. Perhaps he expected it to just go
away.
It is undisputed and obvious that Mayor Virdell
violated several tenets of the code of conduct as is proven by the
LlanoWatch analysis.
Mayor Pro-Tem Bryan Miiller
had the opportunity to calm the much-talked-about vitriol that we
now know originates from Mayor Virdell. Instead, he is adding to
the problem that strains trust in local government. Elected officials do
not seem to understand their role: To represent the people and function
as civil servants. Instead, they seem to think their role is to inflict
their agenda upon us. To not even respond to a citizen's request, no
matter how much they disagree, is outrageous. And to ignore a violation
of the Llano Code of Conduct for Elected Officials demonstrates a
systemic blindness to the rule of law.
Why do we have such a code for elected officials if
it is not enforced? Will laws only be followed if convenient or aligned
with personal agendas? This is far more important that just the bad
behavior by Mayor Virdell. Citizens trust, or even assume, that their
elected officials will follow the law. It is up to citizens to ensure
that they do.
When you are a friend of an elected official and get
preferential treatment, you may think it is fine. However, what happens
when your personal interests conflict with the elected official's
personal objective? Your friendship is trumped.
This will be the case for the charming houses on
South Ford St, some of which have been in the family for generations.
Mayor Virdell has undisclosed reasons for changing the zoning on South
Ford St. from single family to commercial. The owners want it to stay
single family (SF1). Mayor Virdell, the city manager, and council will
be violating the law to accomplish their goal in changing it to
commercial zoning. There is no obvious reason for this change and no
transparency regarding their agenda.
The preferential treatment afforded to Mayor Virdell
by
Mayor Pro-Tem Bryan Miiller undermines the rule of law and
demonstrates that this city government is lawless and undependable.
Obedience to the law on the part of our officials is
the only way that all Llano citizens will be treated fairly - all
the time. Future LlanoWatch articles will show that we citizens cannot
depend on obedience to the law from the mayor, council, and city
manager, as well as cannot depend on proper actions from the legal
system.
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