February 14, 2001

Mailing address: Stephen Pape 204 Cripple Creek Glenn Heights, TX 75154

Email: Speak to me.

Park's Concession Building Abused while Elected Official's Turn their Heads.

You never know for sure how people will react to something until you actually see what they do. I think I have a pretty good feel on how most people will take the following information but I guess time will only tell if I'm right. One thing is for sure, that being, you can't get a reaction to something people don't know has happened. I think that too much has gone on around Glenn Heights over the past several years that has not been reported and the resulting lack of accountability has allowed some of the people who are elected to undeservingly remain that way. Nevertheless, I am convinced that people do need to know how their elected officials behave and once armed with the information they can react any way they wish come election day. If you have read many of my articles you may recall the story I wrote about the City Park/Concession Building that was built without using any taxpayer money. It was a great accomplishment done by many people with much sacrifice but not everyone with the City was happy to see the work in progress. In fact, when the Council voted to accept the gift, surprisingly, it was a six to one vote with one Councilman actually saying No. You have heard and seen the good stuff but this is the rest of the story.

During construction of the building, at least one City Council member went to the City Attorney and tried to get him to declare that it was unethical or illegal for the mayor to have been involved in soliciting, collecting, and overseeing donations for the building in the park. That Council member, Jesus Humphrey, was told back then by the City Attorney that the mayor's actions were not unethical and not illegal. In spite of the refusal back then, Humphrey has continued his probing and has very recently attempted once again, this time through the City Manager, to get a legal declaration that my actions of soliciting donations and help was not legal. While the City Manager did not stand up to him, at least the City Attorney did. Rather than see the work being done at the park as a positive thing for the citizens of Glenn Heights, Councilman Humphrey instead has tried to turn it into something he could use as a negative. While he has failed at least twice, the current abuse of the building is an indication that he did not give up.

Even though the building has proved to be very functional as evidenced by the great use on the National Night Out (last August) that was sponsored by the Glenn Heights Police Department and again at the Veterans Day Festivities in November, it is now the target of much abuse and neglect. A certain amount of abuse and neglect was expected and that is why the building was built without windows and has a commercial grade brick exterior. That is why the building was built with doors that are visible from the main road and why the building is lighted all night long. But nobody could have built a building that can be kept without damage if the doors are not locked and secured when an attendant is not present. To leave the doors standing wide open and to leave a pile of brick just outside the open doors was asking for trouble. Maybe the City Attorney needs to be asked if negligence on the part of the City is legal and ethical.

Last Fall, I learned that the doors were standing open on the restroom section of the building and I brought it to the attention of the City Manager. I also told Mayor Coffman that the building was open and needed to be secured. It had one door that simply was not locked and another that had been kicked, breaking the trim. Now approximately five months later, the interior fixtures of the building have been destroyed all because neither the City Manager nor Mayor Coffman cared enough to order the building to be locked up. While I was mayor, I had asked that the police department check the building regularly to see that it was locked and secure. I even got out of bed on two occasions and went and locked up the building when the police called to ask me to do so. Following the second occasion which occurred the weekend following the City Election, I asked City Manager McDuffie if he could get keys for the police department so they would not need to call me in the middle of the night.

Rather than just getting some keys made, McDuffie changed the locks on the building thus locking me and fellow volunteers, then Park Board Member David Anderson and Councilman Raul Acosta out. From that point on, we had to call and ask permission each time we went to work on the building and call and ask someone to lock up the building each time when done. This was uncalled for but I suspect it was done in a vain effort to impress the new administration or at least Councilman Humphrey. I figured I could adjust because at least the building was being taken care of at the time. That soon changed.

Following the very successful National Night Out, one of the doors was found kicked and the trim was broken and in need of repair. It could have been patched with two screws, about 10 minutes of time, and the use of a key. After a few days, a sink in the men's bathroom fell and got chipped even though the door was not broken but rather simply unlocked. It could very well have been an accident caused by someone leaning on it too hard. I brought the damage to the attention of the City Manager as well as Mayor Coffman and Councilman Raul Acosta. Both City Manager McDuffie and Mayor Coffman said they would take care of it but it was only Acosta that ever tried to do anything. Councilman Acosta agreed to build and install bars over the doors so that they could no longer be kicked to gain entrance. By that time it was obvious that the light metal doors were not going to be a match to the meanness in such an isolated location. Acosta had been authorized to proceed with the work and I was going to assist him until Councilman Humphrey once again interfered. I was told that Humphrey said "NO- I Don't Think So" to the idea of bars and his objection was so strong that the City Manager has been afraid to do anything to secure the building at all because he does not want to upset Humphrey further.

Why would it upset an elected official to secure City Property from damage? What kind of Mayor would knowingly allow a City Building to remain open and receive months of abuse while allowing a councilman and the City Manager to investigate possible charges against a volunteer in her community who innocently raised money and donations to build the building being abused? Does it upset you to hear that your elected officials have behaved in such a way? Are they just as guilty for the damage at the park building as the kids (this may be making too much of an assumption) who picked up the bricks and slammed them down onto the donated ceramic toilets?

Now you know the rest of the story. If it upset you, you can take action against these two elected officials through the recall election in March. In case you are wondering, the City Manager has claimed that he has brought the security of the park building up with the entire City Council but none of the remaining members seem to care at all except for Councilman Acosta.

Another sad by product of the actions of Humphrey and lack of action by Mayor Coffman is that their attitude seems to have been adopted by some of the City Employees. Two weeks ago, I asked our Police Detective about the damage to the Park Building and he informed me that the entire building was ill conceived and that it should not have ever been built. That came from the man that was supposed to investigate the damage and press charges against the vandal(s) and was said to the man who conceived and built the building. As a result of his statement, I called City Manager McDuffie and asked if that view was shared by he and all the City staff. I told him while I would not enjoy doing it, I would tear the thing down if the City had decided they did not want the facility. I was assured by him that the building has already proved a benefit and that it would be secured within days. This conversation would have remained private had he done anything, but now, two full weeks have passed and nothing has yet been done. Has Humphrey interfered again?

Mayor Coffman and Councilman Humphrey are not hurting Stephen Pape when they allow neglect and encourage abuse (through blocking and discouraging preventative actions) of a City owned building. I did conceive the building and I did the necessary work to make it a reality and there is nothing that Jesus Humphrey or Mary Coffman can do to take that away as far as I'm concerned. However, it is the Citizens of Glenn Heights who are not able to enjoy the building that will suffer from Coffman's and Humphrey's actions. It is the Citizens of Glenn Heights that will continue to suffer since people who once were active volunteers and donors in the City now refuse to use their talents (and give money) because they have seen how volunteers are treated and how property is abused with this administration. The people who are to suffer are the very people that Coffman and Humphrey have taken an oath to serve and the very people who must give their consent for them to continue in office. My actions have withstood legal and ethical scrutiny. Only time will tell how the actions, or inactions, of these elected officials will be received.