The citizen’s voices were filled with anger at Councilman Pete Arredondo at tonight’s City Council Meeting held at the SSGT Willie de Leon Civic Center. Approximately 75 community members attended the meeting, some carrying protest signs against Councilman Pete Arredondo who was not in attendance at tonight’s meeting. During the public comments portion of the meeting approximately 8-10 citizens spoke to the City Mayor Don McLaughlin and the panel of Uvalde City Councilmen seated at a long table on the Civic Center stage.
Most of the anger was directed at the newly elected City Councilman Pete Arredondo who had asked the City Council to approve a leave of absence from the City Council. Several speakers and people shouting from the audience demanded that the City Council deny granting Arredondo a leave of absence. According to information provided by City Manager Vince DePiazza under the City Council’s bylaws, an elected City Councilman who missed three consecutive city council meetings in a row without getting approval from the remaining city council members, then the council can act to remove that council member from the city council.
After a preponderance of voices from the audience demanding the council deny Arredondo’s requested leave of absence, the council voted Nay for the leave of absence. By not allowing Councilman Pete Arredondo a leave of absence, he must attend one of the next two regular Uvalde City Council meetings and face the citizens in an open forum.
Criticism was also leveled at Mayor Don McLaughlin and the Uvalde City Council for not allowing transparency of information from the ongoing investigation.
Don McLaughlin responded to the people in attendance saying he is vowing to work to start releasing as much information on the investigation to the citizens and family members of those slain at Robb School. “The gloves are coming off.” McLaughlin said. The Mayor also claimed he was being kept in the dark on the investigation being done by the Texas Department of Public Safety and was being “kept in the dark” by state officials. He also slammed Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw on focusing much of the blame on local law enforcement and not including Texas DPS and US Border Patrol officers in their role in the Robb School response.
Mayor McLaughlin also leveled strong criticism against 38th District Attorney Christina Busbee's office for blocking the disclosure of information obtained during the ongoing investigation.
Due to the Mayor’s frustration in the Texas DPS investigation, McLaughlin said he met with President Biden on the Tarmac at Biden’s visit to Uvalde and asked him to get the US Department of
Justice to start their own investigation.
After the Uvalde City Council Meeting, the Mayor held a press conference fielding questions from the many reporters from out of town media outlets and from some local citizens.
Mayor McLaughlin’s words of solidarity with the people of Uvalde in demanding transparency and wanting answers. The Mayor did conclude with saying he was truly sorry that the Robb School Massacre occurred and said if he could turn back the time to prevent that event from happening he would.
Not everyone attending was satisfied with the Mayor’s comments or actions at tonight’s city council meeting. An unknown man followed McLaughlin outside of the Civic Center outside after the meeting shouting, “Coward.”
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