Danielle Husband
After a board meeting last week, the mayor of a Dallas suburb made an announcement several 100 people reportedly worked to prevent:
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The city of Garland is planning to raze a former National Guard armory, as well as a nearby little league field, in order to build a skate and dog park.
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Citizens attended the city council meeting to voice their concerns, the majority of whom, according to meeting minutes, opposed the two parks.
One group even collected over 100 signatures against the parks to share with the mayor in hopes of halting the projects.
However, the city council voted 6-3 to approve the parks.
Amidst a nationwide trend of statue removal some Houstonians consider to be censorship of history, and despite the pushback, Mayor Douglas Athas is vocal about his support for the skate park, which he said should not be built without more public input, especially regarding location:
“Overwhelmingly the people have said they do not wish to go forward and tear this down,” Athas said in a statement. “The truth is we do not have to put a skate park and dog park precisely right here. There are other open spaces.”
Athas said he further believes the National Armory should be treated as a city asset and preserved; he also expressed concerns of how the proposed site of the parks will not be the best place for children to play.
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After the vote, Athas announced his intention to resign.
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In an update posted on Facebook shortly after the announcement, Athas explained his resignation decision:
“Personal agendas have bloomed on the council to the point that the citizens and staff suffer from poor governance, and I can’t morally be a part of it.”
Serving as mayor since 2013, Athas said he will not leave office early and force a special election.
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The next mayoral election is in May 2018.
