FORNEY, Texas — The Attorney General’s Office of Texas found no wrongdoing on part of the City of Forney, its employees, or its elected officials, in regard to complaints filed by the Forney Post’s owner Denise Bell.
FORNEY, Texas — The Attorney General’s Office of Texas found no wrongdoing on part of the City of Forney, its employees, or its elected officials, in regard to complaints filed by the Forney Post’s owner Denise Bell.
This is the second such acknowledgment concluding complaints originally filed by Bell in 2012.
In 2013, inForney.com wrote about the first complaint, an official oppression complaint by Bell against former City Manager Brian Brooks.
Despite Bell receiving a conclusion letter from the Attorney General’s Office, she continued to publish editorials insinuating the investigation continued in that matter — as is the case with the second complaint.
In the second complaing, Bell says she provided “substantial documentation of illegal and unethical business dealings being conducted at Forney City Hall.”
On February 25, 2014, the Attorney General’s Office closed its investigation, according to Robert N. Udashen of the law firm Sorrels, Udashen, and Anton, who stated, “The Attorney General found no wrongdoing on the part of the City or any of its employees or elected officials.”
Udashen’s law firm was retained by the city to aid in a grand jury subpoena for records related to the case.
“The City fully cooperated with the Attorney General’s investigation,” Udashen stated in a February 25, 2016, letter addressed to Forney Mayor Rick Wilson and the city council members.
Today, the City of Forney, in response to more Bell editorials citing an open and active investigation and emails from Wilson alleging the same, City of Forney interim City Manager Charles Daniels released Udashen’s letter.
“After I was chosen to fill the Interim City Manager position with the City of Forney in February, it was brought to my attention that an investigation may well still be pending from previous years,” stated Daniels. “That is not accurate.”
“In the spirit of full disclosure and transparency of local government, I would like to release a letter from a former legal representative of the City during that time,” stated Daniels. “In late February, Mr. Robert Udashen of Sorrels, Udsashen and Anton , released a statement that confirmed any investigation had been closed for several years.”
In a statement to inForney.com, Brooks says, “I'm glad we have confirmation of something we knew all along; we as a City did nothing wrong. I wish it did not take two years to get that definitive statement.”
“Within those two years, a local blog and candidates have used that as fodder for political agendas and personal vendettas,” Brooks continued. “Hopefully, now we can move past this."
In a recent editorial, Bell says Brooks should not have received a severance package citing a clause in his agreement which she alleges is “contingent upon Brooks being cleared of any criminal allegations.”
The severance agreement, attached below, does not have such a clause.
The severance package, which totals $183,702.84, represents 12 months salary, medical, dental, and accrued vacation time. In exchange, Brooks releases the City of Forney, any of its employees, officers, agents, and elected or appointed officials of claims or causes of actions regarding claims of retaliatory or wrongful discharge, discrimination, harassment, or intention infliction of emotional distress.
On January 19, 2016, the Forney City Council voted 6-1, with Powers being the lone nay vote, to accept Brooks’ resignation and, in the same motion, to approve the proposed severance package.
An inForney.com request for additional information has been made with the Texas Attorney General's Office.
