'Through thick and thin': Texas-side City Council fetes retiring Willie Ray amid swearing-in

Members of the community share stories of  Texarkana, Texas, City Council member Willie Ray's decades of service and leadership in the city. Ray has stepped down after 20 years on the City Council.
Members of the community share stories of Texarkana, Texas, City Council member Willie Ray's decades of service and leadership in the city. Ray has stepped down after 20 years on the City Council.

Three members of the Texarkana, Texas, City Council began terms Monday as city officials and a long list of well-wishers honored one departing member for her 20 years of service.

The council's regular meeting began with recognition of Willie Ray, who is stepping down after representing Ward 2 on the council since 1997, and Christy Paddock, who also chose not to run for re-election. A swearing-in ceremony for new council members Bill Harp, Mary Hart and Betty Williams followed, and the meeting recessed for a 30-minute cake-and-punch reception honoring Ray.

Current and former elected officials, friends and family lined up to pay tribute to Ray.

"We certainly want to thank you for your service to our council. You've been there through thick and thin," Mayor Bob Bruggeman said.

"No matter what, she was always a principled individual. If she believed in it, she was going to be with you 100 percent. And if she did not, she would fight you 100 percent," former Council Member Derrick McGary said.

Brian Matthews, another former council member, praised Ray's consistent attitude.

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AP

Bosnian police work at the scene where a attacker threw a hand grenade into a bus as it stood at a bus stop, in Bosnian town of Banja Luka, 260 kms northwest of Sarajevo, on Thursday, March 13, 2014. Bosnian police say the driver of a city bus was killed and two other people injured when a man threw a hand grenade into the vehicle as it stood at a bus stop in Banja Luka, and the attacker fled the scene. Witnesses told The Associated Press the attacker dropped the grenade into the driver's lap and then fled. (AP Photo/Radivoje Pavicic)

"Each and every time that I saw Ms. Ray, her disposition was always the same. She was constantly jubilant, always sincere, always genuine, and always inspirational and encouraging. And to me, that's the definition of a transformational leader," he said.

"She always worked for her constituents. She stood up for her constituents, and I appreciated that," Bowie County Judge James Carlow said.

City Attorney Jeffery Lewis summed up the evening's compliments.

"There is a common theme that everyone has expressed tonight: giving. You have given of your wisdom, you have given of your experience, you've given your time, a lot of time. I appreciate that. Everyone in here appreciates that. It is very welcome to have an elected official who gives to the people," he said.

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Northwest Arkansas Newspapers

NWA Media/JASON IVESTER --03-13-2014-- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art assistant curator Manuela Well-Off-Man describes one of the pieces of art in the temporary exhibit, The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism, during a media preview on Thursday, March 13, 2014, at the Bentonville museum. The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday.

Ray said she was glad to have served and had never accomplished anything by herself.

"It has been enjoyable to me, and I thank everyone who has supported me. We don't do this just by ourselves. We do it as a group. I could go down the line of things we've accomplished, but you can just look out and see. It's in the pudding," she said.

A retired nurse, Ray is a member of Atlanta Street Church of Christ on the Texas side and has been active with Girl Scouts, the Red Cross and the local branch of the NAACP, which has given her its Benjamin Dennis President's Award. Her other honors include a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Booker T. Washington, Mount Pleasant, Alumni Association, and she is a graduate of Leadership Texarkana. A railroad overpass on Lake Drive that she championed building is named after her.
Ray's tenure has not been without controversy.

In 2006, Ray and her granddaughter, Jamillah Johnson, pleaded guilty to a voting law violation and received deferred adjudication probation.

The two were charged with handling or mailing a mail-in ballot for another person during the November 2004 general election, a Class B misdemeanor.

Ray's violation resulted from her attempting to help a friend with a mail-in ballot. She failed to sign the courier envelope containing the marked ballot before mailing it, which a 2003 law required her to do.

In exchange for pleading guilty to that count, seven similar charges included in Ray's original indictment were dismissed.

Ray maintained her innocence throughout the Texas attorney general's investigation of the matter and its resolution.

She and Johnson were among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state of Texas alleging election laws governing absentee ballots, including the one under which she was charged, were unconstitutional.

The lawsuit was dismissed in 2008 as part of a settlement that included a commitment from the attorney general to better educate voters about election laws.

In 2008, Ray faced accusations that she did not live within the city limits and therefore could not serve on the council. A Texarkana man claimed Ray lived at an address other than that of her official residence in Ward 2, but a Bowie County grand jury declined to file criminal charges in the matter.

On Monday, Bruggeman also had kind words for Paddock, who was not in attendance, and read from a statement she had written.

"It has been a pleasure working with Christy. She has been very accessible to the City Council, staff and her constituents. Christy has always displayed an open mind when dealing with city matters," he said.

"Serving as a council representative for Ward 5 has been a privilege and an honor. I am proud of the work that has been accomplished during my tenure," Paddock stated, spotlighting getting Texarkana positioned to deal with future water rights issues and selecting Shirley Jaster as the city's first female city manager.

Municipal Judge Sherry Jackson administered the oath of office to Harp, Hart and Williams simultaneously.

All three ran unopposed in the Nov. 7 election. Hart will succeed Ray in Ward 2, and Harp will take over for Christy Paddock in Ward 5. Williams will retain the Ward 3 seat to which she was appointed in January after the resignation of Tina Veal-Gooch.

A drawing determined that Hart will serve a four-year term. Harp and Williams will serve three-year terms.

Texas-side voters chose on Election Day to extend the council members' and mayor's terms of office from two years to three. To transition to the longer terms while keeping elections evenly staggered, one member taking office this year and two elected in 2018-chosen at random-will serve transitional four-year terms.

"I'm just praying my husband can put up with this for four years," Hart said. "It will take me a year to learn the ins and outs, and then I'll have three to serve.

In other business, the council chose Ward 6 Council Member Josh Davis to serve as mayor pro tem for a year beginning Dec. 1. The mayor pro tem acts as mayor in the event of the mayor's absence or disability.

The council heard a number of first briefings on zoning and permitting matters. Public hearings and votes will take place during future meetings.

The operator of a hair salon at 5822 Richmond Road has requested a zoning ordinance change to allow application of permanent cosmetics there. A special use permit to allow a tattoo studio at 2729 New Boston Road is under consideration. And the council will consider approving a site plan for a dentist office to be built at the northwest corner of Pavilion Parkway and Gibson Lane.

The council fast-tracked and voted to approve a specific use permit to allow application of permanent cosmetics at 4142 McKnight Road.

The next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 11.

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