The News has been made aware of a move by District 4 City Councilman Harold Doucet to remove Port Arthur City Manager Brian McDougal from his position.

A committee that had been created previously to discuss the duties and responsibilities of the city manager has yet to meet with him. However, in today’s executive session prior to the regularly scheduled city council meeting, Councilman Doucet has requested an agenda item “to discuss the duties, responsibilities, discipline, or dismissal of the city manager.

What cries out as an intent to remove the city manager in this executive session is that in months prior, Councilman Doucet has requested an agenda item “to discuss the Duties and Responsibilities” only of the city manager, each of which was removed prior to discussion and why the committee was formed.

Why the change and/or addition? Especially if a committee formed to meet with the city manager has yet to do so.

Citizens and business owners across Port Arthur need to be aware that things could become increasingly bad very fast for the city if this move is successful.

Upon arriving in Port Arthur, McDougal has been one of the best city managers this city has had. He let citizens know what he was going to do, and he did it. His promise to clean up city hall and remove individuals that were not doing their job has been a continual act of clean up throughout his tenure so far.

He created a budget that allowed the city of Port Arthur to have an available $12 million dollars for emergencies — an emergency like we just had with Tropical Storm Harvey and its flooding. This was not the case before his arrival.

Directly after the flooding, while Port Arthur citizens and businesses were beginning the recovery process from the citywide flooding, city council members spent thousands of dollars traveling to Houston for the yearly Texas Municipal League conference for city officials. Even Councilman Lewis, who is not going to be on city council after May of 2018, attended (Councilman Lewis will not be on council due to the Nov. 2016 election, which saw District Seats 5 and 6 removed in a landslide vote).

But who did stay in town and did not go to Houston? City Manager Brian McDougal felt his responsibility was here with the city and its citizens.

We could go on and on about the reasons why this decision by council is a very bad one. But there’s only one reason council members would want him removed: lack of control.

Council members pushing this agenda item do not have the control they need over the city manager in order to push their own agendas on the city.

It is personal agendas that continue to keep Port Arthur moving backward instead of forward. This is not good for anyone who lives in or around this community. And to remove a city manager who has done a great job in the eyes of the business community will only further hamper our community.

If you have concerns regarding any part of this process, let your local councilperson know them. You may find each of the councilmen’s numbers listed below. Furthermore, for those interested in attending the public meeting, the city council meeting is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. tonight.

Let your local representatives know you want the city manager to have a public hearing in front of the citizens and the business owners of this community. Ultimately it is our right to know and the city manager’s right for a public hearing — plain and simple.

This is our city. The elected officials are elected because of us; and they can be removed because of us as well.

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Mayor Derrick Freeman:                                (409) 983-8105

D1 Councilmember Raymond Scott:  (409) 853-6487

D2 Councilmember Cal Jones:                        (409) 460-3148

D3 Councilmember Thomas Kinlaw: (409) 460-3071

D4 Councilmember Harold Doucet:               (409) 332-9562

D5 Councilmember Willie “Bae” Lewis:        (409) 718-0586

D6 Councilmember Osman Swati:                  (409) 548-3076

P7 Councilmember Charlotte Moses: (409) 332-6081

P8 Councilmember Kaprina Frank:                (409) 466-3771