ODESSA, Texas —
In an Odessa City Council meeting Tuesday night, two 5-2 votes determined that City Manager Michael Marrero and City Attorney Natasha Brooks would be fired from their positions.
Brooks and Marrero were asked to leave the meeting following the votes. It was also announced that the interim city attorney will be Dan Jones, while Agapito "Gapi" Bernal will fill in as interim city manager.
The council’s decision has been met with pushback from some members of the community.
Joven briefly spoke to NewsWest 9 following the meeting, then released a full statement Wednesday afternoon.
The statement can be read below:
“The citizens of Odessa voted for change in the November election, and the majority of our City Council and myself are onboard with continuing to move our community forward. Council is committed to continually improving every aspect of the City. After extensive review Council determined this type of change would require an adjustment in the day-to-day leadership of the City.
Leading Odessa into the next phase is going to require collaboration and consistent and effective communication, amongst many other skills. We look forward to establishing and initiating the process to identify quality candidates to permanently fill these roles. In the interim, Dan Jones will serve as our Interim City Attorney and Agapito "Gapi" Bernal will fulfill the required daily duties as our Interim City Manager.
As a cohesive team, elected officials, City departments and residents will create and share an actionable plan that results in safe and reliable infrastructure and enhanced public safety. Every citizen depends on the City of Odessa to provide these necessities. Dependable water and sewer services, improved roads and enhanced public safety are essential.
I want to voice my appreciation for each and every one of our city employees and the residents of Odessa during this transition. Now is the time we all come together and continue to provide exemplary customer service and show why we're proud to call Odessa home.
We are thankful for Mr. Marrero's and Ms. Brooks' service and their years invested in the City. We certainly wish them well in their future endeavors.”
Stay with NewsWest 9 as we continue to follow what comes of the firings and public response.