ARCOLA – Veeda Williams was elected as the city’s new mayor Saturday, bringing an end to Fred Burton’s six-year run as mayor and a contentious campaign season.
Williams’ victory comes after months of political turmoil in the city filled with a legal battle over a council member’s residency and criticism over Burton’s use of public funds.
Williams, an Arcola native, is Burton’s first challenger since 2022. She ran on a platform of bringing “common-sense solutions” to City Hall and making Arcola a destination city. Williams also founded Community Express, a summer youth program focused on the social well-being of children in Arcola.
During the campaign season, Williams was often targeted by the former mayor. In April, Burton took to Facebook Live to post a video of a William’s campaign flyer sent to his home being set on fire.
Williams and Burton could not be immediately reached for comment.
Election season full of political turmoil
The path to this election has been surrounded by drama and scandal. Most recently, the mayor has been criticized for holding public information behind a private Facebook page and using of taxpayer dollars to hire a private investigator who followed a councilmember he aimed to oust.
A week before the election, the mayor was sent a noose and a note warning him to withdraw his candidacy. The FBI and United States Postal Inspection Service are currently investigating the matter.
Under Burton’s leadership, the city of more than 2,000 obtained its first public water system and developed its first master planned community. During his campaign, Burton promised more growth, business and improvement to city infrastructure.
Incumbent council members Rosemary Bigby and Mayor Pro-tem Florence Jackson also kept control of their council seats.
While the heated election season has come to a close, the political stakes in Arcola are still high as the city awaits a judge’s verdict on a lawsuit three city council members filed against Burton and city officials in March.
City legal troubles
On May 7, a Fort Bend County judge will decide if Burton and other city officials interfered with the official duties of council members Ebony Sanco, Rosemary Bigby and Evelyn Jones. The council members allege Burton and other city officials did not include requested items by council members on agenda and unduly worked to remove Sanco from council.
Disputes began in February when the mayor openly questioned the residency of Sanco and insisted she did not live in Arcola and, therefore, had to vacate her council seat. To prove this, Burton hired a private investigator with public funds to follow Sanco and her children for five days. The investigator went through Sanco’s trash and was able to get directory information about her children.
The decision to hire the private investigator was not brought before council for approval. Arcola’s city code only allows the mayor to make emergency purchases of less than $1,000 without city council approval. City Administrator Annette Goldberg said in an email to the Houston Landing on April 26, that the mayor got approval from city attorneys before making the purchase.
Burton has maintained that this dispute is solely about Sanco’s residency. Sanco, however, believes that this move to oust her is an act of retaliation because she would not vote according to his wishes on a land deal that would bring 350 new homes to the city.
The developer, Compass Land Development LLC, has been in a contentious legal battle for months with the city after the mayor led efforts to back out of a land deal.
Conflicts between city officials and council members have stopped city business. Arcola has not had a full city council meeting since January. The judge’s decision will determine if Sanco can serve and vote on council.
The trial begins May 7 at 9:00 a.m.
Most Popular
Comments / 0