CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — City leaders in Aransas Pass are moving forward following a series of departures that had a crippling effect on city government there.
Last week, interim city attorney Carlos Valdez decided he didn't want the job minutes after he was sworn in at a city council meeting.
"May I interrupt? I don't know what item this is on the agenda, but I don't see it on the agenda," Valdez said as he interrupted a conversation board members were having.
It was at this moment, just 10 minutes fresh of being sworn into his new role when Valdez did something no one expected.
"I'm submitting my resignation effective immediately," he told council members during the meeting.
On Monday an emergency meeting was held in the small community to figure out how to fill that role as well as find a new permanent city manager.
City council members voted to extend an olive branch to Valdez, appointing him not as city attorney, but as a temporary city prosecutor.
Valdez spoke to 3NEWS about why he submitted his resignation as interim city attorney so abruptly and why he said he will accept their offer now, as a prosecutor.
"I think the primary problem is there's little order to council meetings, and you can not do city business unless there is orderly meeting in place," Valdez said. "If order is missing, if you don't have any order in place, and you don't have anybody taking control of the meeting, you can't get any business done, that was my frustration last week."
The move comes on the heels of city manager Gary Edwards announcing his retirement from his role he has held since 2017 along with the previous city attorney also resigning.
Without a city attorney, the city wouldn't be able to conduct executive session duties.
Also, in Aransas Pass, that's a position with a dual role, because it also serves as city prosecutor.
"I believe firmly the reason why is, he didn't know what was going on here, the problems we were having," council member Randy Haskins said explaining why he believed Valdez resigned from the city attorney position.
Haskins spoke out regarding the resignation of the previous city attorney Thomas Gwosdz.
"The city attorney his leaving was, he was pushed out, for making the statement people don't trust local government," he said.
Council member Carrie Scruggs said city business comes to a standstill without the top two positions.
"We were surprised when he got up and walked out, it was not surprising why he did it," Scruggs said. "He didn't get the full support of the council, one council member who did not support his appointment, there were citizens there that night speaking out."
However, at Monday's emergency meeting, council was prepared to offer Valdez a different job, splitting the duties that are usually conducted by the city attorney and asking Valdez to fill the job of city prosecutor.
Valdez said he will take it on.
"My job at this point is be just temporary to try to get the municipal court squared away, any problems, any backlogs or anything like that get it fixed and eventually merge the positions," he said.
So what about the permanent city manager and city attorney positions?
Council members also made a motion during their meeting Monday to direct their interim city manager to make a contract with Clear Career Professionals for the recruitment of a new city manager.
They also appointed local attorney Epi Ysassi as interim city attorney.
"Hope to work with the new city attorney, and eventually merge the positions again the way it's suppose to be," Valdez said.