Despite claims, Greenlee’s signature sealed I-45 deal
MEGAN GRAY
and JOEY DAUBEN
The Ellis County Press
PALMER –
Despite claims he had “nothing to do with it,” Councilman Mike Greenlee signed
his name to an infrastructure job in 2003 without getting city council approval
on the $186,000 project, according to public records obtained by The Ellis County Press.
The contract awarded to Lamarc
Inc. for supplying water and sewer lines to Santa Regina’s tile-making plant on
Interstate Highway 45 in July 2003 carried Greenlee’s signature, as well as the
signature of former Palmer city administrator Dewey Lee. Greenlee, who faces
several opponents in his re-election bid on Saturday in the town of about 2,000
in eastern Ellis County, has had to answer publicly to past spending in the
early 90s when he was mayor on taxpayer-funded trips to strip clubs, bars and
hotels, as well as a recent council vote to sell the city’s water plant.
“So that’s the article this week
huh?” Greenlee said when approached on the issue. “Actually, I had nothing to
do with it. You need to talk with the city administrator at the time. He was
the one that approved the project and so that’s it.”
Lee, according to ex-Palmer
mayor Don Huskins, took a vacation shortly after the contract was awarded and
was never heard from since.
“I took the case to [county
attorney] Joe Grubbs and there was nothing done about it,” said Huskins, who
mentioned his mayoral administration began with a deficit due to the contract
Greenlee approved, which under state law, had to be sent out for bid on change
orders and have council approval, neither of which happened.
Funds from the city’s economic development
corporation, according to public records, were transferred out of an account to
pay for the project.
“I know that y’all are just
focused on a string,” Greenlee said. “They [political opponents] are playing
y’all for fools and so y’all are doing a really good job at it.
“So keep up the good work.”
Greenlee and fellow incumbent
Jeff Vick are vying for three of the council seats up for grabs against Shannon
Conger, Linda Harper, Tony Roybal and Greg Penny. Councilwoman Joice Price
chose not to seek re-election.
“One would think that if the
council had not agreed with the action, they would have done something about it
during that time period,” said Doug Young, Palmer’s current city administrator.
