CEIDC Meeting Set For Tuesday

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT – At the recent Crockett City Council meeting, Council Members NaTrenia Hicks and Darrell Jones called for a special meeting to consider removing Crockett Economic and Industrial Development Corporation (CEIDC) Executive Director and his Executive Assistant from paid administrative leave and return them to their duties. 

At the time, it was unclear whether this would fall to the city or to the CEIDC board, currently made up of city council members, after the previous board had been suspended. Several members of that board, including Hicks herself, had been removed for allegedly holding clandestine meetings without permission or public notice. 

Crockett City Administrator John Angerstein had asked for time to clarify which body would be able to hold the meeting and in what way and the meeting has now been set for Tuesday, May 28 at Crockett City Hall, with city council to consider the issue at 6 p.m. and CEIDC to consider the matter at 6:30. 

While the side supporting Gentry seem to have the votes to end the suspension in short order, many questions remain. 

What will happen with the internal review the city already paid for to consider the ramifications of the forensic audit? Will that be canceled or will it be allowed to finish its review and make recommendations? If that independent group assigns blame to Gentry, will the current council ignore those recommendations and keep him in his post?

As reported in The Messenger at the time, the audit found serious issues with no-bid contracts and unauthorized payments to Gentry. The Messenger was contacted by one of Gentry’s supporters who claimed the allegations are completely false and the truth will come out in due time. While no one doubts the veracity of this individual’s belief this is true, why hasn’t the evidence already come out? With so many allegations and over $8,000 in bonus checks written to and signed only by Gentry himself, what is the obligation of the council members to put forth evidence before the suspension is ended?

The city put out an official statement when the state declined to file charges on Gentry, stating, “As of March 5, 2024, the criminal investigation by the Attorney General’s office has been concluded with no pursuit of criminal prosecution by their agency. Now that it has been decided by the Texas Attorney General’s office that there will be no criminal prosecution by the state agency, the city must address the potential violations as identified by the forensic audit before it can proceed with restoring CEIDC regular operations. The City Council remains resolute in its commitment to address the findings of the CEIDC forensic audit with diligence and integrity. We assure you that every effort will be made to implement necessary reforms, and uphold the highest standards of governance. We recognize and appreciate your patience and support as we navigate this process. Together, we will emerge stronger, more accountable, and better positioned to serve our community.”

Is this still the case?

It has been argued the refusal of the state attorney general to file charges is proof of   Gentry’s innocence. The fact is, prosecutors pass on filing charges for many reasons, from lack of evidence to lack of staff to handle the case. It has been established with this decision from the AG that whatever Gentry allegedly did does not rise to the level of a crime. Does it rise to the level of malfeasance, according to CEIDC’s own rules and policies? Should this not be resolved before a final decision is made?

During  Gentry’s absence, CEIDC has stayed far from idle, helping to open several manufacturing and other businesses and The Messenger has received news of a potentially game-changing opportunity which may soon be coming Crockett’s way. Why was CEIDC so active during Gentry’s suspension and will that level of performance continue? 

CEIDC recently brought on a project administrator to help with CEIDC operations, the very experienced and well-respected Nancy Windham. Windham has a long pedigree in both business and economic development, with strong roots in both East Texas and working with rural communities. She is president and CEO of the Texas Forest Country Partnership, having worked for the Lufkin Economic Development Corporation, Nacogdoches Economic Development Corporation and Frisco Economic Development Corporation. 

Will she continue in her role? Why would Gentry need her services if he is back at the helm, given his many years working on economic development?

For proponents of Gentry, the issue is about truth, justice and fairness. They see the accusations as an attack on Gentry and are eager to put right what they see as a grave mis-justice and slandering of a good and competent manager. 

For those against removing the suspension, they insist Gentry did break and bend rules and there should be consequences for it. Even if the AG passed on filling charges, city and CEIDC’s own policies should be followed and no one should be allowed to break them. 

For most residents, the hyper attention on the career of one citizen can seem overblown on both sides, with many hoping the issue will be cleared up and off the front page of the newspaper, no matter what happens. 

Regardless of the charges or their provability, what will be the public relations fallout from the whole episode? With every town in the state with more than 2,000 residents possessing an office of economic development, will scandal-shy business owners opt to go to greener fields and pass Crockett by? There is not a line of business people wanting to come to Crockett. If there were, we wouldn’t need a CEIDC to begin with. 

Whether Gentry succeeds in getting his paid administrative leave removed or not, the stark divisions on the city council evidenced at the recent meeting may be a worrying sign for many voters. 

Even if council acts to ignore the forensic audit and not wait for the results of the recommendations to make CEIDC better, one hopes the council will focus more on those issues voters care about, like better streets, better sewage and better smelling tap water. 

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]