Magnolia residents will have a hand in shaping a new ethics policy for the city.
City Council voted July 14 to create a citizen committee that will review a proposed ethics policy and recommend rules governing council members, appointed officials and city employees. Council member Geoff Beyer cast the only opposing vote.
What happened
The city plans to advertise the committee openings and post an application on its website. Council members will then review the applicants and select residents to serve.
A specific number of committee members was not set during the meeting.
The residents selected will receive a model ethics policy drafted for the city and will be able to recommend changes, additions or requirements. Council member Raymond K. Gaskin III said the goal is to bring impartial residents into the process rather than have council members write the rules governing themselves.
Once the committee finishes its work, the proposed policy will return to the council for review. Council members will have the final say on any changes and must vote before the rules can take effect.
“We want to make sure we get it right,” Mayor Chris Blair said.
What this means
During the discussion, officials said the draft outlines how ethics complaints could be submitted, reviewed and investigated.
Under the proposed framework, complaints involving council members or certain appointed officials would need to be sworn and reviewed by outside legal counsel to determine whether they meet the policy’s requirements before moving forward. Complaints involving city employees would generally be handled by the city administrator, who would report the outcome to council.
The resident committee will be able to review those procedures and recommend whether the final policy should be broader or more restrictive.
The context
Work on the ethics policy follows a number of legal issues involving city staff and elected officials over the last year. However, the council did not directly connect the creation of the ethics committee to the lawsuits during the July 14 discussion.
Three federal lawsuits were filed earlier this year against the city and former Mayor Matthew “Doc” Dantzer.
Former Human Resources Director Kristy Powell sued the city and Dantzer in March, alleging she faced retaliation after reporting allegations involving Dantzer and City Secretary Christian Gable.
Gable filed a separate lawsuit in April alleging she was assaulted and sexually harassed by Dantzer during an October 2025 Texas Municipal League conference and later faced retaliation after reporting the incident. Dantzer has denied the allegations.
Former City Administrator Christopher Whittaker filed the third lawsuit April 28, alleging he was fired after reporting concerns tied to the allegations and requesting whistleblower protection.
