City Manager responds to Citizen's comments

I write this article as a concerned citizen in my individual capacity of my own free will, and not as a mayor’s puppet as you have alluded to in your previous written letter to the editor. I have  contemplated for a long time about speaking out publicly or even writing an article about the many unjust claims that have led to basically “Racial Character Assassination,” threats of bodily harm “Get A Rope”, “I know where you live, I just haven’t knocked on your front door”. I have never publicly spoken an ill word about Marlin’s former Mayors or their administrations. I have only been in Marlin for one year, but I must admit mistreatment, Jim Crow and segregation of the poor, Hispanics, and attacks on African American leadership is alive and well, I would even say still thriving today. I know it’s politically incorrect to speak ill of past political administrations, as a former Mayor myself it’s not what we do, however we’re now living in abnormal times in America. 

I disagree with your current assessment of the city and the storyline of how your enrichment team departed from city employment. Mr. Keefer claims Marlinites gripe, and complains on social media, but in the end does nothing. Well I beg to differ, in the short one-year time frame that I’ve been in Marlin, I have seen more Marlinites, including younger ones, get involved in the happenings of the city. For example, look at the record turnout of younger Marlinites who came out to vote for the first time in a historical election to help elect Marlins’ first African American woman into the Office of the Mayor. Let’s look at how Marlinites came out to help tutor the children of Marlin on Saturdays. Look at how people came out to Sunday Community Prayer sessions. Let’s look at how many citizens have come out to help restore City Park. And look at how citizens donated used street equipment, along with small donations to help purchase sand and gravel to be used to temporarily fix some potholes. Look at the community donations that were made to help congratulate the Marlin H.S. Seniors. And look at how many participated in many other things that money could not buy such as giving a helping hand to their fellow neighbors during recent storms. So, please don’t stereotype all Marlinites as gripers, complainers, and do-nothings. 

So, citizens of Marlin, you must ask yourself this, is it that this former mayor may be harboring ill feelings because he was overwhelmingly defeated by an intelligent, and highly educated, self-thinking African American woman who made an historical benchmark on Marlin’s history? Believe it or not, the city isn’t spiraling downward as he claims, the city is making strides daily; he’s attempting to divide and conquer a small town attempting to pull itself up by the bootstraps and go forward. Mr. Keefer spews his flimflam rhetoric, but reasonable people can see that it looks and even smells like someone is trying to reassemble their enrichment team to position themselves for another crack at enrichment opportunities again. Mr. Keefer, you want to chastise this current mayor, this council, and city management team on transparency, but let’s analyze this a bit closer, was it not transparent or was it pure injustice when you implemented a so called “Urban Redevelopment Plan'' that marginalized the poor, African American, and other minorities. Marlinites, how many of you benefited from this plan? Or do all of you know how many properties the former mayor, or his many entities, have amassed in Marlin that other Marlinites were not afforded an opportunity to acquire. There are many. The “Urban Redevelopment Plan '' made Marlinites fill out an application to determine if they could purchase struck off properties without an open and honest bid process against other eager fellow Marlinites. Many people knew it wasn’t fair to them at all and only a handful of special minorities were allowed to get this land, in an attempt to throw off the biases of the process. Please, former mayor, explain to everyone how it is that at the time of its existence, this program benefactor was chosen by the then city secretary. Let’s take a real look at those documents and some of the notary work done on them! Was it fair when you, yes you Mr. Keefer, hiked the water rates to unbelievable amounts that have put some into a bind? On September 18, 2017 (Ord. #17-012) and you raised it again on September 11, 2018 (Ord. #18-021) on October 01, 2019 the current council did not do an ordinance to hike the water rate. No, Mr. Keefer, your 5-year plan was in play. See, your previous ordinances that had already been done, you probably meant well but you were the one who led the way to setting in motion the increases of Marlin water which has become one of your biggest masterpieces, for a 5-year period, while you were at the helm and not this current council. 

There’s much more to say about the many outright lies in your Letter to the Editor, but I will not go blow for blow with you. I will however, leave this on yours and everyone’s minds; “Change is coming because people of all walks of life are tired of being sick and tired of the division of society.” 

MARLIN STRONG!!! 

Hon. Cedric Davis Sr.

Marlin City Manager