How we got here
During a regular board meeting on Aug. 28—which ran past midnight—Commissioner Bevin Gordon moved to elect MacKinnon as board president after expressing her disapproval of Paiva’s leadership in his time as chair. She claimed Paiva frequently made decisions and directed staff without consulting the board, which is beyond the scope of his role.
Commissioners have no individual authority and may not give individual direction to the fire chief or district personnel, per board policy.
“All of these actions reflect overreach, a lack of collaboration and a failure to uphold transparency for our community,” Gordon said. “Leadership requires fostering respect, collaboration and ensuring that all voices—commissioners, members of the public, everyone—are heard.”
Paiva called Gordon’s claims “mischaracterizations [that] are absurd at best,” saying he has made no unilateral moves or interfered where he shouldn’t have. He said his actions supported parliamentary procedures and order on the board.
“To recommend and provide a vision, there’s nothing that prevents us from doing that as a commissioner, much less as an officer,” Paiva said.
Gordon, MacKinnon and newly appointed Commissioner Cameron Dickey voted in favor of the change, with Commissioner Jaime Martinez opposed.
Paiva had been serving as board president since January.
The board then underwent a complete change in officership, electing:
- Dickey as vice president
- Gordon as treasurer
- Martinez as assistant treasurer
- Paiva as secretary
More details
Several community members participated in public comment at the start of the meeting, condemning members of the board for overreaching in day-to-day operations of the fire department.
Multiple speakers, including former Commissioner Kevin Stertzel, also made comments regarding potential workplace-related lawsuits against the fire department, but details on the matter are not public as of press time. Stertzel in his statement asked the board to implement “robust policies regarding harassment and whistleblower protections.”
Paiva said the board has hired an outside law firm to conduct a “comprehensive investigation of workplace-related complaints.”
“That investigation remains ongoing, and there is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of the investigation, respecting the process and ensuring the confidentiality of all individuals involved,” Paiva said following public comment. “Any public official is obligated to uphold the law. That’s what this commission is obligated to do, and anyone who violates the law will be held accountable.”
Also of note
The board unanimously approved a motion to propose an ad valorem tax rate of $0.0388 per $100 valuation, which is the no-new-revenue rate for the next fiscal year. District residents may participate in a public hearing regarding the proposed tax rate at the next board meeting Sept. 25.
Commissioners will also receive a presentation at the September meeting detailing proposed changes to the department’s anonymous reporting procedures, per board conversation about whistleblower protections.
Watch the full meeting here.
Before you go
The Aug. 29 special-called meeting regarding complaints made against Fire Chief Amy Ramon has been cancelled, as of 12:37 a.m. day of. It’s unclear as of press time whether another meeting will be scheduled.
The next regular meeting will be held Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Cy-Fair Fire Department administration building, located at 10710 Telge Road.
