Letter to the Editor:
I was a city commissioner for the City of Streetman for about a year. The way that happened was, Commissioner Heather Davis was stepping down and she nominated Nina Perry to replace her. Heather Marfell did not want Nina, so she knocked on my door one night and asked me if I would consider this position. To Heather, Nina Perry was a strong personality, and Heather did not feel like she would have control if Nina accepted the position.
Heather has said many times that she always wanted to own a city, and I guess she feels like she owns the City of Streetman so she didn’t want anyone who might challenge her. In her letter in The Times last week, she even referred to it as “My Little City of Streetman”. So, when I stepped down, I nominated Subrenna Turner, another strong personality, and I did this because I knew Subrenna would challenge things and do what was right for the City. This is when all the trouble started, when Heather no longer felt in control. Because Commissioner Turner is another strong personality the city clerk and mayor have tried every low-down thing, they can come up with to try to get rid of her. They don’t like her asking questions, they don’t like her asking for old agendas or reports and they don’t like her not always agreeing with them. She also questioned why Matthew Marfell was receiving a monthly check from the city. What was his position? She asked about Heather’s salary, and why her hours are 16 hours a week. This starts with the mayor who has given all control to the city clerk. Who runs this city?
Tommy Bonner, another strong personality, has been friends with everyone at City Hall for years until the last couple of meetings when he began to ask questions that they don’t want to answer and that they didn’t like. Now they are spreading lies about him, even calling him a threat or one of those hostile people, as we are now referred to. Even calling the law on him for coming into city hall and asking for a complaint form. What a joke. The Tommy I know would help anyone without question. Another strong personality questioning them. There is a pattern here.
When I was on the board Heather talked about a woman who had requested to join the Streetman Fire Department, but because Heather didn’t like this lady, she denied her application and refused to let her join the Department. This is a volunteer department, why would you deny help? Yes, Heather and Matthew oversee the City and the Fire Department. But the Fire Department is a whole other story that needs to be investigated.
In Krysta Buss’s letter to the editor last week, she wants to lecture about public officials, well let me tell you about your mayor who you think is so great. Bill Butler was a former mayor of Streetman, a strong personality, who mowed for the city for many years. He began to question some things about the city he didn’t agree with. He had questions, something they do not like. He went up to city hall one day and Mayor Johnny met him at the door. This was an 80-year-old man at the time. Johnny put his hands on Bill, shoved him off the steps, cussed and shoved him all the way to his truck, then shoved him into his truck. Told him not to come back. Is this what you mean when you talk about serving the people with integrity? Is Johnny being held to the highest standards? Evidently, you don’t know these things, you only know what Heather tells you. Would you call this unprofessional and alarming? I would. Was he held accountable? No. Bill should have filed charges against him for physical assault. I went to the meeting that night, when it was Bills turn to talk the mayor shut him down immediately. Told him they were not going to listen to him. Refused to let him speak. However, when Commissioner Turner asked to have Matthew Marfell limited due to him bashing her, the mayor allowed him to go on for 6 1/2 minutes. That’s who your mayor is. When it came time to put in bids for mowing for the city, something Bill had done for many years, he didn’t win the bid that year. But who did win the bid? Heather Marfell’s son. How is that even possible that her own son won the bid? So, now Heather, Matthew and her son were all on the city payroll. How does that happen? Then we have the new municipal court clerk who is out of control. Stirring arguments on social media, calling people uneducated, calling Commissioner Turner a bitch and a bully, shooting the finger across the room during a city council meeting. She represents the City of Streetman and it’s embarrassing.
She only got the job by default, because the mayor pulled another one of his stunts and told the other applicant some untruths, this applicant that was very qualified for the job revoked her application because she felt sorry for Danielle after talking to the mayor. The mayor told her that Danielle had six kids and really needed this job. Because this is who Heather and Johnny are.
Everyone wants to make Commissioner Turner out to be the bad person here. She has stated several times, why do we need two offices? Let’s rent that space and make money for the city instead of having two sets of utility bills. Let’s use that money to make improvements for the city. How is this not acting in the best interest of the city? How is this her personal agenda?
What is bullying about this? Commissioner Turner has nothing to gain; she doesn’t get paid for her time. She wants improvement for this city. She has gotten upset during meetings but who wouldn’t when you have Matthew Marfell, the clerk’s husband yelling, pointing fingers and making accusations.
He’s the problem. The mayor pulling out a death certificate of her late ex-husband to use against her. Matthew made the comment that Commissioner Turner and others had perpetrated a lie that the City Secretary had been padding her pockets, he stated that they had auditors every year, but Andy Owen was kicked out of the meeting when he stood up and asked how many auditors had they fired over the past few years. He got no answer for that question. We went thru three auditors the short time I was commissioner.
I was born and raised in this town. Been in and out of it all my life. This town is terrible. Roads are terrible, the ditches don’t drain, tree limbs hanging in the streets. Lots that are grown up, weeds that are taller than the houses, and all the city clerk can think about is having two separate offices. We need a new mayor who can think for himself. We need change.
Andy and Belinda Owen
Streetman, Texas
