ODESSA, Texas —
City of Odessa Assistant City Manager of Community Services Aaron Smith was let go from the position on Thursday, according to his attorney Bobby Bland.
Bland said he believes the firing was because Smith reported Mayor Javier Joven and the Odessa City Council to the Texas Rangers and the Ector County District Attorney’s Office.
That was an attempt to have them investigate whether city officials violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when discussing the firing of other employees.
Both former city manager Michael Marrero and former city attorney Natasha Brooks were fired in December of 2022.
At the time of the 5-2 city council vote to terminate them, some people criticized the council, saying they did not allow public comment before the decision was made. This even led to one Odessa attorney filing a lawsuit against the city.
In January, the city council held a second meeting to allow public comment on the firings, before they once again voted to fire them.
This is all the information we have on Smith’s termination and any investigation into the city council’s decisions. We will update this story as more details are released.