Does Garland Have a Mayor?

Many Garland citizens believe that Mayor Douglas Athas has resigned. It was broadcasted on all our local news channels, so it must be true; or so it would seem. The truth is Douglas Athas will remain in his elected office until May of 2018, or until he terms out in May of 2019.

Since there has been no explanation by the man himself, we can only guess at his motive for all the drama and media hype. According to those privy to such discussions, he had planned to lease the old National Guard Armory in Garland’s Central Park, to be use as a Maker-space. However, the City Council determined it would be too costly to renovate the old property for that purpose, or any other use. The council voted to demolish the old armory and return the area to Central Park for public use.

The armory had been built on property leased to the national Guard in the late 1940’s and had been abandoned for the past 7 years. The cost of demolition was just a fraction of what any type of renovation would have cost Garland’s taxpayers. It was also determined that the greater good was better served by returning the acreage occupied by the military base to Central Park.

Just minutes after the Council voted to demolish the armory, the mayor Douglas Athas announced his intention to resign.  He further stated that he would announce the official date of his resignation in the very near future. That Council meeting took place several weeks ago, on October 17th, and no such announcement has yet been made.

Had Mayor Athas really planned to resign? Or was it an emotional reaction to the vote? Prior to the meeting, he alerted the media and told others that he had achieved his goals as mayor. Whether his announcement to resign was planned or not, there are many Garland citizens waiting to see what he will do next.

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Nancy Ghirla

Email: nghirla331&gmail.com