Irving Council Strikes Contentious Resolutions, Sparking Accusations Of Political Sabotage

Yahoo

2 days ago

In a procedural move, the Irving City Council on May 29 struck three contentious resolutions from its agenda, prompting accusations of political manipulation and violations of council rules.
The three resolutions in question include the following: support for President Donald Trump's call for a ceasefire in Gaza, a proposed ordinance to ban gambling in high-density zones, and a measure urging transparency from the Lone Star Conservative Action Fund, which has spent nearly $200,000 in this year's city council elections, according to previous reporting by The Dallas Express.
Councilman Luis Canosa, one of the sponsors of the resolutions, responded on June 2 with a sharply worded public statement. 'Last City Council Regular meeting set a dangerous precedent that undermines our representative process,' he wrote, accusing Mayor Rick Stopfer and Councilman Brad LaMorgese of orchestrating a 'premeditated and scripted attack' on his and two colleagues' right to bring forward new business.
The drama unfolded when Councilman LaMorgese raised a point of order to remove the three resolutions, which had been submitted on May 26 — Memorial Day — arguing that their late submission violated procedural norms and deprived both council members and the public of adequate notice.
'The public and council members rely on Friday postings [of] the agenda to review and prepare for meetings,' LaMorgese said during the meeting. 'Submitting items on a holiday deprives both council members and the public of fair notice and undermines the deliberative process.'
LaMorgese acknowledged he wasn't challenging the content of the resolutions but focused on the manner of their submission. 'Effectively, I got it [the packet] this morning… That is not enough time or transparency for me let alone the public,' he said before adding that the items 'be struck from the agenda as procedurally improper and that they be tabled indefinitely.'
Mayor Stopfer agreed. Quoting the council's rules of procedure, he sustained LaMorgese's point of order, stating that 'the agenda items in question were submitted after the procedural deadline on a legal holiday and were not included in the Friday posting… therefore I sustain the point of orders.'
But Canosa fired back, calling the move a misapplication of council rules. He argued that Section 5.1.B of the council's procedures permits addenda items submitted after the regular Thursday deadline as long as they are posted at least 72 hours before the meeting — which they were. 'The items were posted as addenda,' Canosa said. 'Whether or not they 'may' or 'may not' be posted is irrelevant once they are posted.'
He also claimed that neither LaMorgese nor Stopfer, who did not request the items, had any right to remove them. 'The final sentence of 5.1.B reads: 'such agenda item can only be removed from the agenda by the person(s) who requested the item,'' Canosa said.
A previous report from Dallas Express highlighted internal council tensions, including a Facebook post from Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Webb, who accused Canosa and his allies of using the ceasefire resolution as a ploy to win Muslim votes. Webb called Canosa 'worthless' and said, 'The Cease Fire resolution is only a ploy to get Muslim votes!'
Webb's comments and perceived shifting position on the resolutions heightened the drama. One local Muslim activist, Tammam Alwan, posted screenshots of Webb's past assurances. 'Now that it's on the agenda… we're looking forward to your continued support,' he wrote.
Webb denied formally submitting or backing a resolution, saying, 'My support would be at the voting level,' not at the agenda stage.
Ultimately, the vote never materialized.
The agenda items may have been removed, but Canosa warned them they would return. 'This bogus and potentially illegal 'point of order' procedure was only used by those representatives who do not want to listen to their constituents to avoid voting on the record,' he said. 'They will be coming back.'
The battle has played out just days ahead of the June 7 runoff election for Place 2 to replace LaMorgese. Candidates Sergio Porres and David Pfaff are both vying for LaMorgese's seat.
The outgoing incumbent had previously been part of a March 20 coalition majority in the council that signaled disapproval of a casino development project in Irving. While LaMorgese signaled opposition to a casino, he also did not second a similar motion brought by Canosa at that time to prohibit casino gaming in PUD 6. Ultimately, Canosa's action failed for lack of a second.