Amarillo EDC Board during their most recent meeting/Photo by Noah Dawson

Last month, Mayor Cole Stanley issued an ultimatum to the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors. “As long as I have a board that’s willing to work with us, then I’m good to work with you guys,” said the Mayor. “If not, I do appreciate resigning and stepping aside so we can get a board put together that we can work with.” It now appears the majority of the board has made their choice, and that choice has left Dipak Patel as the only remaining member of the board.

The resignations, which were announced essentially simultaneously, were submitted to Amarillo City Council and provided to the group “Supporters of the AEDC,” which has run a Facebook page highlighting successes of the AEDC as the organization has faced criticism in the wake of the RANGE Foundation controversy. Given the fact that the resignations were nearly simultaneous and the fact that the board is subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act, The Amarillo Pioneer has submitted a request for communications between the former board members leading up to their resignations.

In his resignation letter, Chairman Andrew Hall said that “Mayor Stanley’s instability has made it increasingly difficult for the AEDC to operate effectively, and his actions have depleted our economic prospect pipeline.” Hall’s resignation came just a day ahead of Amarillo City Council potentially removing him.

Two of the members, Scott Bentley and Adrian Meander, were set to have their current terms expire at the end of the year. While Meander was eligible for another term, Bentley was set to be term limited out. Both had similarly harsh words for the Mayor and Council in their resignation letters.

“The actions and tone of our mayor and city council are causing irreparable damage to our AEDC and our city is cause for alarm,” wrote Bentley.

Meander, in his letter, stated that he disagrees with changing the AEDC’s articles of incorporation, an item the council is set to consider at their next meeting. “My opinion, there’s no need to re do the Articles of Corporation.”

Burton said in her resignation letter that she hopes it “serves to call attention to the need for a more collaborative and supportive approach in the future.”

The only member to not resign, Dipakkumar Patel, was first appointed to the board by Amarillo City Council last year. All of the resigned members had initially been appointed during the tenure of former mayor Ginger Nelson. This could open up the possibility for the current council to fill the entire board with their picks at their upcoming meeting.

According to the City of Amarillo, the following people have applied to be appointed to the board: