FORNEY, Texas — City of Forney Mayor Rick Wilson has been charged with simple assault, a class C misdemeanor, in connection with an incident with fellow Council member Shaun Myers during a closed-door executive session earlier this month.
FORNEY, Texas — City of Forney Mayor Rick Wilson has been charged with simple assault, a class C misdemeanor, in connection with an incident with fellow Council member Shaun Myers during a closed-door executive session earlier this month.
On February 5, 2019, the Forney City Council was discussing a number of items during an executive session when Wilson allegedly shoved Council member Shaun Myers.
The council, City of Forney, and Forney Police Department have remained mum on the circumstances which led to the alleged assault.
On Wednesday, without addressing the assault, Wilson issued a press release accusing Council members Mike Thomas and Myers of violating the Open Meetings Act. Specifically, Wilson says the two had brought up a Facebook comment from the mayor's wife, Sandra — a comment which was directed at the recent resignation of Assistant City Manager Wendle Medford.
The executive session agenda on the night of the incident had listed discussion to "deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee," namely, the assistant city manager. Following executive session, the council unanimously approved authorization for the city manager to execute a separation agreement and general release for Medford.
"Although Mr. Wilson is entitled to his opinion, I can assure you, the citizens of Forney, that no illegal discussions were held during that meeting," Thomas said, in part, in a statement to inForney.com. "Further, I welcome any investigations and I pledge to fully cooperate in any way that will bring resolve to this matter."
Wilson states, in furtherance of the allegations, he has forwarded a complaint to the Kaufman County District Attorney's Office and to the office of the Texas Attorney General.
The complete statements from Wilson and Thomas are attached below, in the order that they were received.
Myers has declined to comment on the incident.
inForney.com, last week, requested an incident report from the Forney Police Department. That incident report was released but withheld witness statements because "the release of the records would interfere with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of an open or pending criminal matter," the City of Forney stated in citing Section 552.108(a)1 of the Texas Local Government Code.
The case has been referred to the Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace, in lieu of the Forney Municipal Court, according to the citation.
Complete statement from Mayor Rick Wilson received on February 13, 2019.
"Citizens of Forney,
Many of you may have heard of an incident at the February 5th City Council meeting that led to council member Shaun Myers submitting a complaint against me to the Forney Police Department. You deserve to know the circumstances under which this incident occurred.
The incident occurred during a closed portion of the meeting we refer to as an Executive Session. Because Texas law requires all City Council meetings to be open to the public, we can only go into a closed meeting under certain exceptions to the rule and we have to announce to the public the specific exception and topic to be discussed. During our Executive Session, council members Mike Thomas and Shaun Myers took control of the closed meeting and began verbally attacking my wife over a Facebook comment. I cautioned Mr. Thomas and Mr. Myers that my wife’s Facebook comment was not a topic they could legally discuss in a closed meeting. Neither of them had put the topic of my wife’s Facebook comment on the agenda, nor had they announced to the public that they were going to discuss her in the closed meeting. Despite my warning that their discussion was unlawful in a closed meeting, both of these individuals persisted for several minutes in berating me with threats of using their offices to harass me and my wife with investigations over her Facebook comment.
I am very thankful to the Citizens of Forney for electing me Mayor and understand that professional and respectful conduct by city leaders is what you deserve and expect. I will not condone what has become a pattern of contempt of our state’s open meeting requirements. Accordingly, I will be forwarding a complaint to the Kaufman County District Attorney’s Office and the State of Texas Attorney General.
I will always do my best to serve the office of Mayor with honesty and integrity and sincerely regret this event happening to our City.
Respectfully,
Mayor Rick Wilson"
Complete statement from Place 1 Council member Mike Thomas received on February 14, 2019.
"Recently Rick Wilson made a public statement concerning the executive session held by the Forney city council on February 5th 2018. In his statement Mr. Wilson accuses Shaun Myers and me of taking control of that meeting and illegally discussing items not on the agenda.
Mr. Wilson goes on to state that he will be forwarding a complaint to the Kaufman County District Attorney as well as the State of Texas Attorney General concerning this matter.
Although Mr. Wilson is entitled to his opinion, I can assure you, the citizens of Forney, that no illegal discussions were held during that meeting. Further, I welcome any investigations and I pledge to fully cooperate in any way that will bring resolve to this matter.
Mike Thomas
Forney City Council Place 1"
