By Anthony Wilder
In defense of the Texas Government Accountability Association (TGAA) and the City of Odessa’s decision to execute an interlocal agreement with the association, it’s important to recognize the potential value the TGAA brings in terms of enhancing transparency, accountability, and ethical governance. While some critics have raised concerns about the organization’s newness and alleged political connections, the TGAA offers innovative solutions for ensuring long-term governmental integrity and citizen oversight. This perspective emphasizes the benefits of the TGAA’s framework, the modest costs involved, and the proactive steps it encourages the City of Odessa to take toward greater transparency and ethical standards.
Before diving into some key points, emphasizing the potential benefits of the agreement and refuting concerns raised about conflicts of interest, let’s start with some facts:
The TGAA has never paid any compensation to John Beckmeyer nor Matt Armstrong.
The TGAA has never employed Beckmeyer nor Armstrong.
The City of Odessa did not pay for the initial annual membership dues. The TGAA waived the dues for the first year.
The resolution in City Council agenda item 19 of the April 23, 2024 meeting was unanimously approved by a vote of 7-0. This resolution provided the City Manager with authority to negotiate and execute an interlocal agreement with the TGAA.
Enhanced Accountability and Transparency: The core mission of the TGAA, as outlined in the interlocal agreement and transparency & ethics policy, is to promote higher standards of accountability in municipal governance. By requiring regular audits, the disclosure of conflicts of interest, and the publication of city officials’ salaries and vendor contracts, the TGAA provides citizens with unprecedented access to information. The association’s framework encourages municipalities to adopt more transparent practices, making it easier for the public to hold their local governments accountable. These initiatives are meant to combat corruption, waste, and inefficiency—fundamentally aligning with taxpayers’ interests.
Innovative and Proactive Oversight: Although the TGAA is a relatively new association, every group must start somewhere. Rather than being a downside, this presents an opportunity for the City of Odessa to be a trailblazer in adopting innovative approaches to municipal governance. The TGAA’s potential to grow and extend its oversight model to other cities will lead to a state-wide improvement in governance practices. Instead of solely relying on traditional organizations like the Texas Municipal League (TML), the TGAA offers a different and potentially more rigorous mechanism for ensuring ethical practices, which can serve as a complement rather than a replacement.
Flexible, Long-Term Safeguards: Critics argue that the interlocal agreement’s indefinite nature and the costs are problematic, but the fee structure is reasonable, the dues were waived for the first year, and the initial rate remains static for the first 5 years. Given Odessa’s population size and the scale of city operations, this is a modest investment in safeguarding transparency and accountability. Furthermore, requiring a public election to terminate the agreement ensures that decisions are made with citizen input, preventing a politically motivated council from easily dissolving such oversight. The presence of an exit clause, while costly, ensures stability and commitment to long-term governance reforms.
City Manager’s Role and Armstrong’s Involvement: Beckmeyer’s involvement in connecting the City of Odessa with the TGAA shouldn’t necessarily be viewed through a lens of suspicion. His background in politics does not disqualify him from advocating for good governance. Moreover, the criticism surrounding political consultant Matt Armstrong might be overstated. Armstrong’s involvement in facilitating the TGAA relationship stems from his expertise and experience rather than any hidden agenda. Beckmeyer nor Armstrong stand to personally benefit from the TGAA interlocal agreement, and to suggest otherwise could be viewed as conjecture or political maneuvering.
A Focus on Citizen Benefits: The TGAA’s framework is designed to benefit the public by ensuring that city government operates more efficiently and ethically. The idea that the TGAA enforces high standards of transparency—requiring conflict-of-interest disclosures and publicizing key financial information—aligns with good governance practices. Citizens, therefore, stand to gain a clearer understanding of how their city is being run, how taxpayer dollars are being spent, and whether elected officials have any conflicts that may affect their decisions.
Potential for Long-Term Savings: By implementing regular audits and identifying opportunities to cut waste or increase revenue, the TGAA’s model could, over time, save the city significantly more than the costs of the annual dues. Financial audits can expose inefficiencies or instances of fraud that may otherwise go unnoticed, and correcting these could lead to substantial long-term savings for the City of Odessa’s taxpayers.
In summary, the TGAA represents an effort to elevate the standards of municipal governance in the City of Odessa. Its approach—though new—offers a proactive, citizen-centered model of oversight. The TGAA offers a valuable opportunity for all Odessans to place their full trust in their local government, through increased levels of ethics, transparency, and accountability. Instead of doubting the intentions of those who support the City of Odessa’s membership in the TGAA, consider the motives of those who seem reluctant to advocate for these important standards.
Anthony Wilder is the executive director of the TGAA.
