Granbury mayor took over less than two months ago. Now he faces ethics allegations
Less than two months after becoming Granbury’s mayor, Jim Jarratt is facing allegations that he violated ethics rules by endorsing a City Council candidate on his campaign Facebook page.
In a Friday morning Facebook post, Jarratt wrote that city manager Chris Coffman was behind a formal complaint accusing Jarratt of violating the Texas Penal Code, the Texas Open Meetings Act and Granbury’s own ethics and misconduct ordinances.
“These accusations display the City Manager’s lack of knowledge regarding campaign activity as it contrasts with city business; each has its own set of rules, scope, structure and requirements,” Jarratt wrote. “I refuse to be deterred by these Trumped Up Accusations.”
Granbury’s ethics commission will meet at City Hall on Monday at 1 p.m. to deliberate a “sworn complaint” of allegations against the mayor, according to a public meeting agenda posted on the city’s website. That complaint was not available on Granbury’s website as of Friday afternoon.
Some of the commission’s deliberations will take place behind closed doors in executive session, but members will reconvene in open session to consider “possible action” on the complaint, according to the agenda.
It’s unclear who currently sits on the commission, but the application to become a member states that candidates cannot have a substantial business interest with the city, work for the city or be related to a city employee.
Coffman and other Granbury officials did not immediately respond to calls or emails requesting more information on the allegations. City secretary Carla Walker did not respond to a request for a copy of the sworn complaint filed against the mayor.
Ethics code complaint headed for hearing process
Jarratt, who did not return an interview request, wrote that the “illegitimate” allegations stemmed from his public endorsement of Cathy Reidy, who won a council seat in a July 27 runoff. Jarratt won his own special election in late June, defeating three opponents who sought to fill the open position left by the resignation of Nin Hulett.
On July 13, Jarratt shared a photo of himself and Reidy holding a campaign sign on Facebook. “Her healthcare perspective and fresh ideas will help resolve the Infrastructure Crisis and lead Granbury to a bright future,” the caption reads.
Granbury’s ethics code does not explicitly mention candidate endorsements, but does instruct City Council members to “refrain from entering into any activity which may be in conflict with or give the appearance of conflict” with citizens’ interests or prejudice their ability to objectively carry out their duties. Council members are also instructed to “act impartially and not give preferential treatment to any private organization or individual.”
It’s unclear which standards Jarratt is accused of violating. Under Granbury’s ethics ordinance, the person who files the ethics complaint, the person accused of violations and the nature of the complaint are all confidential information until the complaint must be published through open records laws.
Granbury’s ethics commission is required to hold a preliminary hearing within 15 days of receiving a complaint. That hearing will establish whether or not the complaint is “validly stated” and whether or not sufficient evidence of a violation exists to warrant an investigation, according to city ordinances.
If the complaint is found to be insubstantial or improperly worded, the person alleging violations will have 10 work days to resubmit the complaint. But if the commission finds there is significant evidence of a violation, there will be another final hearing within 25 work days of the preliminary meeting.
The second and final hearing will determine if a violation of the ethics code occurred based on a preponderance of evidence, according to Granbury’s ordinances. Commission members can request public records and witness testimony to determine how to move forward with the complaint.
If a violation involving a council member is found, the findings of the investigation and any recommendations for sanctions will be matters of public record. Council members would have to vote on any sanction recommendations, according to the ethics code.
Potential sanctions include a “letter of admonition” for a minor or unintentional offense, a “letter of reprimand” for an intentional offense or a call for resignation and forfeiture of a council seat for a serious or repeated violation of the ethics code.
‘He stormed off’: Officials have testy relationship
Coffman and Jarratt’s relationship was strained even before Jarratt was sworn into office on July 6.
While on the campaign trail in June, Jarratt wrote of an encounter he had with Coffman at a city budget workshop. Jarratt expressed his dislike for reserved parking spaces, but Coffman insisted that the mayor should have a reserved spot outside City Hall for when he’s running late to a meeting.
Jarratt said he would not have issues finding parking since he would be at the office all day. Coffman said he was offended that Jarratt would be at the office all the time, before “he stormed off and sat at the table with a red face,” Jarratt recalled in a Facebook post.
Their conflicts have also centered around Granbury’s expected growth, with Jarratt openly criticizing the city’s approach to infrastructure planning. Granbury and Hood County’s population is booming, and the city has already implemented a moratorium on development in some areas of town due to rising pressure on its capacity to treat wastewater.
Coffman has championed a controversial plan to build a new wastewater treatment plant that would discharge up to 2 million gallons of treated wastewater per day into a tributary of Rucker Creek, which flows into Lake Granbury and the Brazos River.
The permit required to build the plant has been stalled by backlash from a vocal group of Hood County residents, who are challenging the city’s plans through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Among Jarratt’s supporters are several members of Granbury Fresh, an opposition organization composed of residents fighting for alternatives to the sewage plant. Anita Branch, a Granbury Fresh leader and retired engineer living in Hood County, called the allegations against Jarratt “dirty politics.”
“It’s really a shame that they’ve gone after the mayor because he’s doing his best to try and sort through all this to help lead the city in a different direction,” Branch said. “There’s so much that needs to be done in this town, and for this kind of high school behavior to actually take the energy that needs to be put toward solving the city’s problems, that’s what is absolutely shocking.”
In his Facebook post on Friday, Jarratt wrote that he intends to deliver on his campaign promises, which centered around transparency in government and improving infrastructure.
“I will not be intimidated by the petty political games being played,” he wrote. “Make no mistake, this is all political.”
