Kennedale’s first female mayor urges community to unite in ‘building a bridge’
_fitted.gif "The Kennedale city council on Tuesday voted unanimously to appoint Linda Rhodes as the city’s new mayor. Rhodes will replace Brian Johnson, who recently resigned.")
Kennedale city council members voted unanimously to appoint the city’s first female mayor Tuesday night.
Linda Rhodes, who was first elected to the council in 2018, was appointed after an executive session that lasted about three and a half hours. The vote was unanimous.
Rhodes, who has worked in city government for more than 30 years, told the audience that it is important to build bridges and to heal division.
“Now, I would like to challenge and encourage each one of you as a citizen, board member, staff person, whatever role you have, you have to be a partner in building a bridge. Every city that is divided shall not stand. I don’t want to be that city,” she said.
Rhodes is taking office two weeks after former mayor Brian Johnson resigned, and after the city manager, George Campbell, was fired on June 22.
In his resignation letter, Johnson said he did not want to stand in the way of the city council and its policies.
Four new council members have been elected since November.
Rhodes worked for Kennedale from 1982 to 2002 in various departments including utility billing and finance. She also was the city’s first board of adjustment secretary, according to a news release announcing her 2020 council campaign.
She was also city secretary in Lake Worth.
Councilwoman Jan Joplin said in an interview before the meeting that she wanted to appoint Rhodes because of her extensive experience.
Joplin said she couldn’t comment on Campbell’s firing because negotiations are still underway for a settlement. However, she said Campbell was hired in 2017, three weeks before new council members were elected.
“He was hired to follow another council’s directives, Joplin said. “That made it very difficult for the new council coming in.”
Residents elected a new council to lower the property tax rate, which is the fourth highest in Tarrant County.
“If you can’t change and don’t have a captain willing to work with you it’s difficult,” Joplin said.
In other action Tuesday, the council appointed Leslie Galloway as interim city manager. The council also voted to post an announcement for a new city manager.
This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 11:00 PM.