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Granite Shoals mayor resigns; new appointments incoming

will skinner

Granite Shoals Mayor Will Skinner resigned from his position on Thursday, Oct. 6. Skinner cited his impending move outside of the city limits as the reason for his resignation. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey

Granite Shoals Mayor Will Skinner resigned his position on Thursday, Oct. 6, citing his impending move out of the city limits as the reason. When councilors next meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, they are expected to appoint Mayor Pro Tem Aaron Garcia as mayor and to name a new mayor pro tem. They have 30 days to decide how to fill the councilor seat left vacant by the resignation.

City councilors received official resignation emails from Skinner on Thursday afternoon. Councilors told DailyTrib.com that Skinner’s resignation was a possibility on Sept. 27, with Mayor Pro Tem Garcia and Councilor Samantha Ortis stating that Skinner had told them he was planning to resign because he would be moving out of the city and therefore be ineligible to hold his seat as mayor.

Per the Granite Shoals city charter, Garcia will finish out the remainder of the current mayoral term, which ends with the May 2023 elections. Garcia will have to run for election alongside other viable candidates if he wants to stay in office. He could also run for a councilor position.

A new mayor pro tem will be chosen at Tuesday’s meeting, but the council will have 30 days to appoint a new councilor to fill Garcia’s Place 2 seat. The newly appointed councilor will serve until the May 2023 elections, at which point, a candidate will be elected to the position.

Garcia was sworn into his current Place 2 seat on May 24 and appointed mayor pro tem on June 14. He has worked for the Marble Falls Police Department since 2007 and lived in Granite Shoals since 2008.

When asked if he felt prepared for his new role as mayor, Garcia said his experience with the police department, role as a supervisor, and support of his fellow councilors and constituents would make for a smooth transition.

“I think that we need to start moving forward and stop wasting time,” Garcia told DailyTrib.com. “The city is so hungry for change, and that is what we need to do.”

Granite Shoals has recently experienced upheaval in its administration and leadership with the lengthy deliberation to fire former City Manager Jeff Looney, which started in February, and the recent turmoil surrounding Councilor Phil Ort, who is accused of fabricating complaints and violating the Public Information Act

Interim City Manager Peggy Smith expressed similar sentiments as Garcia.

“My hope is that this begins to settle things down with the council and we can move forward with city business,” she told DailyTrib.com.

Skinner was appointed mayor in October 2020 when former Mayor Carl Brugger resigned after a citizen group led by Ort demanded a recall election over a $37,000 raise given to Looney.

dakota@thepicayune.com