Granite Shoals honors Tanner
Glynis Crawford Smith/The Highlander
Before the Granite Shoals City Council meeting Tuesday, Oct. 25, a reception honors retiring City Council Member Eric Tanner. Pictured, from left, are Council Member Shirley King, Tanner's wife Penny, Tanner, Mayor Carl Brugger, former Mayor Dennis Maier, Mayor Pro Tem Tom Dillard, new Council Member Jim Davant and Council Member Todd Holland.
By Glynis Crawford Smith
The Highlander
The Granite Shoals City Council pursued a brief agenda Tuesday night, Oct. 25, punctuated by a reception for Eric Tanner and an executive session regarding former police chief J.P. Wilson.
Wilson left city employ in May and has since been succeeded by Chief Gary Boshears, however his departure apparently has not been without some disagreement.
Wilson is on the December schedule of the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) for a hearing he requested regarding his exit rating. A Petition to Correct The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TECOLE) Separation of Licensee Report (an F-5 report) will be heard.
All information about the hearing is confidential, but only two choices remain beyond “honorably discharged” on an F5 form: general discharge and dishonorably discharged. Wilson, who ran on his record as a candidate for Burnet County Sheriff in May, is represented by an attorney from the law enforcement union Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT), according to SOAH documentation.
On Wednesday, the city was set to go to before Burnet County Court at Law Judge Linda Bayless to seek an injunction against Wilson to bar his release of copies of videos or other material belonging to the city. An agreed temporary injunction was settled between city legal representative Joshua D. Katz and Wilson's attorney before the complaint was heard.
All council action Tuesday night was essentially housekeeping to bring the city in compliance with state-mandated practice or financial matters such as signatories for city bank accounts. Some time, however was devoted honoring departing council member Tanner.
In a reception before the meeting, council members strictly avoided any inappropriate discussion of Tanner's reason for early retirement from the council: to campaign full-time for the $3 million road bond proposition on the city ballot Nov. 4.
Instead, both Mayor Carl Brugger and former mayor Dennis Maier called Tanner their “right-hand man” during his time on the council from 2011-2016. Brugger read a proclamation that included mention of Tanner's service on the City Charter Commission and the Planning & Zoning Commission before he ran for council, and the many volunteer services he provided in record maintenance and ordinance drafting.
Tanner's previous service on the Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees had proved invaluable to the city as well, said Brugger.
“I am convinced we would not have the agreement between the city and the district for new soccer fields, if it had not been for your work,” he said.
In main part, Tanner and his wife Penny, were entertained with lighthearted jests from council members and city staff, grateful stories from council members who found a path into their service eased by his experience and a few jokes about the size of the shoes to be filled by Tanner's replacement on the council, Jim Davant.
