Protestors blast Ferris mayor

FERRIS – Admittedly irate because of Mayor Micheal Driggars’ alleged attempts to silence their voices at the Tuesday, April 17 council meeting, Ferris business owner Tina Miller and Ferris Councilwoman candidate Sherie Chapman fired blasts like electrical bolts from a stun gun directed toward and about Driggers and Ferris City Manager Bill Jordan.

“The economic director has (tried) to bring in new business (prospects) to Ferris, (but) the city manager and some of the council members have been instrumental in making sure those businesses look elsewhere while casting doubts on others trying hard to bring business to Ferris,” said Miller.

She asked, “who would want to move a business here knowing the city manager has been served with 11 complaints of sexual harassment, a $12-million bond was proposed by this city manager with numbers that reads like fiction vs fact, and the mayor of the city and city secretary engaged in an intimate relationship including alleged lewd behavior in public, but were also allowed to stay on the job?

“This relationship is known not only in Ferris, but in surrounding small cities and even Dallas,

“I’ve had people call me and refer to our city hall as the ‘city brothel’,” continued Miller, who also has a pet grooming business and additionally is responsible for leasing out some of Ferris’ downtown buildings.

She added the bad judgement of the city council to spend $8,000 to privately investigate just friends having lunch before a target-shooting outing.

“That money could have been used to improve businesses downtown or repair the Senior Citizen’s Center,” said Miller.

Miller also mentioned an unnamed council member ranting on Facebook, violating Chapter 4 of the Ferris Ethics policy and closed-door sessions, “making us believe you have more to hide than we can imagine – since clearly, you have chosen to ignore the ethics violations right under your noses.”

Under Promote Ethical Organizations in Chapter 4 of the city’s personnel policy, it states, “Establish procedures that promote ethical behavior and hold individuals and organizations accountable for their conduct.”

“You have brought shame to this city,” Miller admonished.

Chapman also came on strong, explaining she had wished to speak to the council “before” they went into executive session to reiterate Jordan had known since before December Driggars and Green were violating the City of Ferris Code of Ethics section 4 Number P4.15 – “Fraternization” by engaging in an intimate relationship.

She wanted the council to oppose any salary increases for the city manager and the city secretary, but they had already renewed the secretary’s annual contract before Chapman had a chance to speak. According to Chapman, Green’s salary was $60,000 a year.

“We don’t care who anyone is intimate with, but when city government officials violate the city’s own Code of Ethics, and cause undue harm and stress on other city employees trying to do their work duties – then it’s a different matter,” said Chapman,

“Mr. Jordan should have done his job as city manager which would have been disciplinary action or termination of the city secretary – (he) failed to act on the city’s behalf, with a total disregard for the city’s best interest, but, obviously, it’s hard for (Jordan) to enforce or follow the city’s Code of Ethics as he himself is under investigation for 11 counts of sexual harassment, a violation of (the same chapter and code) number P4.18.”

“We, the people, ask that the city council reject any raise requests from (the two) and that the city request their immediate resignation(s) without consideration for severance packages based on their ethics violations committed against the city while in its employ.”

She said Jordan not only had multiple City Ethics Policy violations, but also for what appeared to be an intentional infliction of unfair process and misuse of power on “our police force, economic development director and director of finance - and his inept dissemination of inaccurate financial information concerning the upcoming bond proposal that had to be brought to his attention by a private citizen.”

“Is looking the other way, the easier thing to do, vs the right thing to do for ALL city employees?

“Of course, if that were true, the city manager would never have brought Chief Salazar and Investigator Weise up on charges which, to date have never been identified and the city wouldn’t have hired an outside investigative firm for $8,000 to look into these charges.”

She said the firm wasn’t even a licensed private investigator. 

Protestors have been pleading with voters to elect Councilman Jim Swafford as the city’s new mayor on May 5 and “to refuse any request to ‘write in’ any other person for the position.

They were also supporting Sherie Chapman or Rudy Amor to fill the vacated position of the former Councilwoman Carol Wright, and Michael Martinez, who will be facing Jay Walsh for another council position.

They said they believed these residents would help Swafford and Barrett “clean up this city hall mess.”

They also ask voters to vote “NO” for the city’s bond proposal.