San Angelo City Council Will Consider Removing Economic Development Board Vice Chair Tuesday

SAN ANGELO – The agenda for the San Angelo City Council meeting Tuesday includes an item concerning removing the vice chairman of the City of San Angelo Economic Development board after a contentious COSA-DC board meeting recently.  

According to the agenda, the council will meet with attorneys behind closed doors in executive session to discuss "Personnel matters regarding the evaluation, discipline, or dismissal of John Bariou from the COSADC Board."

As we reported earlier, that recent COSA-DC board meeting began with the resignation of Chris Evatt who is the chairman, president and CEO of First Financial Bank in San Angelo. In Evatt’s resignation letter, he said that a recently amended City ordinance concerning conflicts of interest disqualifies him from continuing his two-year term. He had served 12 months on the COSA-DC board as of this meeting. 

Bariou alleged that the City Manager’s office has assumed authority over what items were to be placed on the COSA-DC board’s agenda. Bariou asked long-time COSA-DC Director Guy Andrews, who recently resigned over City management issues, to speak at the meeting.

Then, Andrews added that he was disallowed from having meetings with his counterparts at in economic development at the Chamber unless the meetings included Mayor Brenda Gunter or City manager's staff.

The San Angelo City Council meets in regular session at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022 in council chambers in the McNease Convention Center.  The regular meeting is open to the public.