Another resigns Houston council

MAT-SU — Houston has another opening on its revolving-door city council.

Carla Hendrix, who since January 2007 has held council Seat C, tendered her resignation Monday in a letter sent to the city.

In her letter, Hendrix cites a growing workload for the council and its effect on her home Web design business, which has lost income since she joined the council.

“I’m going to just focus on my family and my business,” Hendrix said. “And I’ll still be here and I’ll still do things for Houston. I’m not throwing Houston away, I’m just taking my life back.”

Her letter cites increasingly full council meeting agendas, which she said require eight to 10 hours of preparation time.

“This is a little tiny city. It doesn’t need that,” Hendrix said.

Her letter says Mayor Sandy McDonald’s “micromanaging” style is the source of the increased workload.

McDonald said she’s not putting anything on the council agenda that doesn’t have to be there.

“I’m bringing things up by code that need to be addressed by the council,” McDonald said.

If council members think there’s too much work they can change the city’s codes, but some things have to have council approval, McDonald said.

Hendrix also says in her letter that McDonald doesn’t give enough notice of meetings, another allegation McDonald disputes.

“This is the best the city has ever done in advertising meetings,” she said.

Hendrix’s resignation comes on the heels of former Houston mayor Steve Frost’s resignation in February. Frost cited as reasons family issues and partisan bickering on the council that preventing the city from moving forward.

Hendrix said personality conflicts also played a role in her decision.

“You try to have an opinion or you don’t agree with what someone’s doing and it turns into a screaming match,” she said. “I’ve got a little more class than that.”

McDonald said the process for replacing Hendrix will run similar to the one used to replace Frost who, as mayor, also served as a councilman. The notable exception this time is the city won’t have to choose a new mayor. That process lasted about a month and ended March 17 when Paul Stout was appointed to Frost’s council seat and the council chose McDonald to be mayor.

The first step in replacing Hendrix will be April 24, when the council will formally accept her resignation, McDonald said. At that time the council will also settle on a schedule for soliciting and interviewing candidates to fill her seat.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiers-man.com or 352-2270.