Print
E-mail
Comment
The Woodlands Township board’s Kinnear to serve as TWT’s interim president
By T.L. HAMILTON
The Woodlands Township board decided today to appoint board member Bob Kinnear as an interim president, filling the position vacated by Frank Robinson nearly two months ago.
Kinnear, who was appointed to the township board at the end of July, will will recuse himself from the board while he serves as interim president, board chairwoman Nelda Blair said. She said Kinnear’s board seat will remain empty in the interim.
“We operated without Les Terrance Sr. for a long time, so we’ll be fine,” Blair said of the former board member whose seat had been open since his resignation last fall until Kinnear filled it.
Kinnear’s appointment as interim president was almost unanimous, with only Peggy Hausman voting against it. The board discussed the move in executive session before approving the move.
The move will relieve the three co-managers the board placed in charge after Robinson’s departure. They are Brian Pate, formerly vice president of finance and adminisration, now consultant; Nick Wolda, vice president of marketing and public relations; and Steve Sumner, vice president of operations and public safety.
Kinnear will be paid for his work as president.
The board gave Blair and vice chair Lloyd Matthews the authority to negotiate what he will be paid, which Blair said will be decided soon, if not today.
Kinnear said he felt honored and that it was his “civic duty” to serve as interim president.
Joe Larsen, a Freedom of Information act attorney, said Kinnear being present in the executive session that discussed his appointment did not violate the Texas Open Meetings Act.
“I agree that the fact this guy being on the board may give his opinion greater weight, but I hesitate to say that they’ve done something here that runs afoul of the Open Meetings Act,” Larsen said.
“If he had voted, I think that would be different. But I think they’re entitled to hear him out on the potential of putting him in that position.”
Kinnear abstained from the vote to appoint him as interim president. He said after earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Lamar State College of Technology in Beaumont, he began working in pipeline transportation in 1996. Later, he assisted in the corporate merger of two pipeline companies.
“I have a lot of experience in mergers, organization, reorganization, right-sizing and downsizing, which will be helpful with this transition (of the community associations and the township),” Kinnear said. “Because of my institutional knowledge and career path, it was determined that I would be a good person to fill this position for a short period of time.”
Blair said while Kinnear fills in as president, the board will conduct an internal search for candidates.
During a discussion of personnel in executive session, Don Norrell, general manager of the Community Associations of The Woodlands, and Jeff Long, president of The Woodlands Community Association, were called in.
How they voted:
Below is listed how the directors voted on a motion by Director Ed Robb and seconded by Director Claude Hunter to appoint Director Bob Kinnear as interim president of the township:
Director Bruce Tough: Yes
Director Vicki Richmond: Yes
Director Claude Hunter: Yes
Director Ed Robb: Yes
Director Peggy Hausman: No
Director Lloyd Matthews: Yes
Director Tom Campbell: Yes
Director Alex Sutton: Yes
Director Bob Kinnear: Abstained
Kinnear, who was appointed to the township board at the end of July, will will recuse himself from the board while he serves as interim president, board chairwoman Nelda Blair said. She said Kinnear’s board seat will remain empty in the interim.
“We operated without Les Terrance Sr. for a long time, so we’ll be fine,” Blair said of the former board member whose seat had been open since his resignation last fall until Kinnear filled it.
Kinnear’s appointment as interim president was almost unanimous, with only Peggy Hausman voting against it. The board discussed the move in executive session before approving the move.
The move will relieve the three co-managers the board placed in charge after Robinson’s departure. They are Brian Pate, formerly vice president of finance and adminisration, now consultant; Nick Wolda, vice president of marketing and public relations; and Steve Sumner, vice president of operations and public safety.
Kinnear will be paid for his work as president.
The board gave Blair and vice chair Lloyd Matthews the authority to negotiate what he will be paid, which Blair said will be decided soon, if not today.
Kinnear said he felt honored and that it was his “civic duty” to serve as interim president.
Joe Larsen, a Freedom of Information act attorney, said Kinnear being present in the executive session that discussed his appointment did not violate the Texas Open Meetings Act.
“I agree that the fact this guy being on the board may give his opinion greater weight, but I hesitate to say that they’ve done something here that runs afoul of the Open Meetings Act,” Larsen said.
“If he had voted, I think that would be different. But I think they’re entitled to hear him out on the potential of putting him in that position.”
Kinnear abstained from the vote to appoint him as interim president. He said after earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Lamar State College of Technology in Beaumont, he began working in pipeline transportation in 1996. Later, he assisted in the corporate merger of two pipeline companies.
“I have a lot of experience in mergers, organization, reorganization, right-sizing and downsizing, which will be helpful with this transition (of the community associations and the township),” Kinnear said. “Because of my institutional knowledge and career path, it was determined that I would be a good person to fill this position for a short period of time.”
Blair said while Kinnear fills in as president, the board will conduct an internal search for candidates.
During a discussion of personnel in executive session, Don Norrell, general manager of the Community Associations of The Woodlands, and Jeff Long, president of The Woodlands Community Association, were called in.
How they voted:
Below is listed how the directors voted on a motion by Director Ed Robb and seconded by Director Claude Hunter to appoint Director Bob Kinnear as interim president of the township:
Director Bruce Tough: Yes
Director Vicki Richmond: Yes
Director Claude Hunter: Yes
Director Ed Robb: Yes
Director Peggy Hausman: No
Director Lloyd Matthews: Yes
Director Tom Campbell: Yes
Director Alex Sutton: Yes
Director Bob Kinnear: Abstained
Submit a Comment
|
You must be logged in to post a comment.
|
Not yet a registered member?
Click here to become one. Comments to stories and articles on the Web site are not edited or pre-approved before appearing online. Readers posting comments are solely responsible for those comments. Comments must be germane to the story to which they apply. Online comments that are libelous, profane or personally attack another site participant can be reported as abuse using the link provided on each comment. Comments reported as abusive will be reviewed and may be removed from view, as will off-topic comments. BE CIVIL. Individuals continually posting abusive comments to the site may have their registrations revoked. |
