By now, most Midlanders are aware of the issues facing our city’s Firemen’s pension program. Some historical context is useful so our city council, mayor, and other leaders are not viewed as the cause of the problems. Instead, they have inherited the results from years of less-than excellent oversight that have only recently been exposed. They are taking needed time to rectify the problems for the benefit of our most valuable public servants and the safety of our city.
When I was sworn into office as Mayor in January of 2020 with new council members Lori Blong and Jack Ladd, we never could have imagined the challenges we would face. COVID raged, oil went negative, Chinese communists protested in a local neighborhood, and a host of other issues churned. With the benefit of hindsight, I could not be more proud of how our council and city handled the historic issues of those days.
During this time, I received a call about one more issue. The honorable Tom Craddick called to inform me that the Pension Review Board (PRB) in Austin was about to take action against our local firemen’s pension board. As mayor, I had a seat on the board, but no one had alerted me to the problems we faced. I promptly alerted the council and dove into the issues that would encompass my entire term, and which continue to this day.
It became apparent that any intervention by the city would be met with opposition on the board. After months of difficult meetings, I introduced a motion, recommended by the PRB and passed by only a one-vote margin, to begin a forensic audit of the entire operation. The audit was paid for by the city.
I also testified before the PRB on two occasions alongside the city manager and deputy city manager. We assured the PRB that Midland was doing everything it could to follow the recommendations of the audit. We only made progress after the board was replaced. This would not have been possible without the support of our firemen who realized the needed changes could only happen under a new board.
Those changes began under my administration, and Mayor Blong and the current city council have continued the ongoing task of reviving and rescuing what had been mismanaged for years.
Since being made aware of the issue in 2020, your elected officials have fought hard to rescue the fund. The solution will be expensive, regardless of what course is taken. But our elected officials have not kicked the can down the road.
The former and current mayors and city council members have followed the audit recommendations, argued Midland's case with the PRB, and stayed united to protect the interests of our firefighters and our city.
Correcting past mistakes is never easy, and it will be costly in this case. I support our Mayor and City Council in their efforts to make our firemen’s pension fund whole. The solutions have been a long time coming, and they included hard battles. But they have been fought with integrity, and that means Midlanders can be confident that a final resolution—complete with a revamped, repurposed, and revitalized local pension board—will be in the best interests of our firefighters and the citizens they serve.