Dear Editor,
Marfa’s mayor and members of City Council have told us that former City Manager Walter’s “separation was a ‘joint decision between her and the city council.’” It was not. Ms. Walter was unilaterally terminated. I know this for a fact because I have eyes and ears. Beyond that, should someone want to leave a job, she could very easily resign. Ms. Walter did not. She was fired and given an hour to collect her things.
Mayor Baeza tells us that we will never know why Ms. Walter was terminated: “It is the policy of the City of Marfa not to comment on personnel matters.” But members of Council have already gone on record with their justifications. Mr. Morrison explained that while he was “pleased” with Ms. Walter’s work on important issues, unfortunately she was not sufficiently “pleasant.” Perhaps, rather than using taxpayer funds on her extraordinarily brief tenure and unilateral termination, this insurmountable unpleasantness could have been addressed at her first performance review. It was, and always had been, scheduled for May 29.
Finding a different rationale, Mr. Pallarez alleged that Ms. Walter was “stirring the pot.” If that refers to uncovering mismanagement and working quickly to correct it, then indeed she was and with good reason. After all, her contract employed her as the City’s Chief Executive Officer.
Whatever the reason, I would hope that city officials would refrain from adding defamation to wrongful termination. Enough unjustified damage has been done to Ms. Walter’s reputation and prospects for future employment, in spite of the dedicated service she provided the City.
The Mayor assures us, “other customers are not being billed for any discrepancies between the minimum water rate and the actual water being used.” This is misleading. I recognize that Marfa’s current mayor is not a certified accountant. To make it clear, I will quote former Marfa City Manager Mandy Roane’s comments in The Sentinel from September 2023: “We’re asking people to pay for services that we’ve provided because the water that comes to their house has already been treated.” Free flowing water is not free.
The problems Ms. Walter uncovered were admittedly known by some in the City for years, and their potential remedies obstructed. Whether that was willful or what Councilmember Morrison describes as “negligence,” both are forms of mismanagement. Ms. Walter gave us the opportunity to recognize where we have fallen short, and showed us how to do better. As the Public Utilities Director explained, Ms. Walter came in, immediately made it a priority, and obtained impressive results in record time.
But her work was only beginning. The Council rushed into a reckless decision and left the City without management at a time when it is clearly necessary. The City should immediately seek submissions for a new, qualified City Manager. Unfortunately, we have shown any such candidate just how “pleasant” the job will be.
Travis Acreman
City Council Member, City of Marfa
Dear Editor,
April 22-27 was International Dark Sky Week. To mark the occasion, celebrate our particularly beautiful view of the cosmos and raise awareness of how to protect it, community partners throughout the region came together to hold star parties, special talks, and unique activities.
We would like to thank the following organizations for hosting, participating in or helping to raise awareness of these events: the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, Visit Alpine, Alpine Public Library, Ballroom Marfa, the Far Flung Outdoor Center in Terlingua, Davis Mountains State Park, Big Bend Citizens Alliance, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Big Bend National Park, Fort Davis National Historic Site, Marathon Chamber of Commerce, American Bird Conservancy, Tierra Grande Chapter Texas Master Naturalists, Marfa Junior/Senior High School, Valentine School, CreatiVets, Dark for the Park Alliance, The Big Bend Sentinel, Jeff Davis County Mountain Dispatch, Alpine Avalanche, The Van Horn Advocate, Fort Stockton Pioneer, Marfa Public Radio, KVLF, KALP, Printco in Alpine, and Big Bend Coffee Roasters.
At McDonald Observatory, dark night skies are vital for astronomical research. But, as the week’s events highlighted, they are also an essential part of what makes the Big Bend region so special. I wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped share their love of the dark, and who, each night, renew their commitment to safeguarding this resource for future generations.
Sincerely,
Taft Armandroff
Director, McDonald Observatory
Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my gratitude to everyone who participated in the Arm Wrestling event on May 4 at Planet Marfa that benefited Marfa Education Foundation’s scholarship program. Even compared to last year, which was an unequivocal success, this year was magical. So many showed up to cheer on friends and neighbors, and so many laid it all on the line by getting up and participating in one way or another. It takes strength to stand in front of a percentage of the town and show what you’ve got.
On behalf of MEF, our heartfelt gratitude goes to everyone who came to contribute, especially our arm wrestlers. A special note of thanks also goes to Kaki and Chris for keeping the show moving smoothly. Thanks to Mia for her rendition of the National Anthem, and to Kim and Mr. Salgado for speaking about the impact of scholarships in their own lives. Thanks Carrie and Cheryl for keeping track of the brackets. Our sincere gratitude is due to Christy Miller for conceiving of this amazing event and making Marfa scholars the beneficiaries, and our most humble thanks to everyone who has donated to the cause. As of the writing of this letter, we have raised about $9,500 and are still pinning donations for scholarships through the end of the week in the hopes of reaching our $10,000 goal.
MEF scholarships benefit Marfa ISD graduates who are enrolled in a college or trade school. Now more than ever, public schools need our support. Marfa Education Foundation is dedicated to serving the students and staff of Marfa ISD and the graduates seeking higher education. I am deeply proud to be part of that mission and the Marfa community has shown, through their enthusiastic generosity, that it is a priority for them as well.
Thank you again, and we look forward to doing it again next year!
Sincerely,
Abby Boyd
Executive Director
Marfa Education Foundation
Dear Marfa Community,
The Marfa Studio of Arts celebrated 25 years of community service last Saturday with a big joyous birthday party. We are so grateful to our great friends and supporters for coming out and giving us all that love.
We were proud to have the Marfa National Bank sponsoring this event as we also celebrated 25 years of a special relationship with this wonderful bank that is truly a partner to all the nonprofits in Marfa. Thank you MNB.
Other great sponsors of this event were Cactus Liquors who are always incredibly generous in donating libation to our events. Marfa Table donated a gigantic, delicious chocolate cake that could have fed an army. Fairweather Cider of Austin also contributed to our festive event. Many thanks to Homework Marfa and E&C Construction who generously donated to MSA. We were also grateful to The Big Bend Sentinel for the lovely article on our programs by Mary Cantrell.
Raffle prize donors were Among my Souvenirs, Bitter Sugar, Bordo, Cactus Liquors, Cibolo Creek Resort, Cochineal, Big Bend Coffee Roasters, Hotel Paisano, Hotel St. George, Margaret’s, Mudlab, Ocotillo Botanica, Stop & Read, Texas Rose and The Get Go. Two artists, Alyse Ronayne and Jax Le Baron-Widmar, generously donated their artworks. Susan Butler, a board member, did a masterful job putting this successful raffle together.
Our MSA team was outstanding in planning and executing this event. Many thanks to our amazing board of directors including Britney Bass, Susan Butler, Janie DeGuerin and Carlos Morales. Special thanks to Sam Dwyer, the SITES Coordinator; and Alex Luna, our gallery manager; and Lindsey Gore for their invaluable help.
Of course the focal point of this evening was the beautiful exhibitions of paintings by Katie Inglis. We thank her for generously allowing us to share her moment with our special evening. Matthew Bollick also donated his many talents by providing an upbeat soundtrack to the event.
The rain held off until after the opening but happily did give us the finale we never expected. Thank you to all, we look forward to many more years of happy art making.
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors
Marfa Studio of the Arts