Saturday, December 14, 2024
The emotions at Granbury City Hall were palpable, yet mixed Tuesday, Nov. 19, as Granbury City Council swore in two members — and bid farewell to another.
As the candidates for both Place 3 and Place 5 both ran unopposed, the city canceled the election for this year, automatically naming incumbent Bruce Wadley for Place 3 and newcomer Zeb Ullom for Place 5.
Mayor Pro Tem Steven Vale, who served for three years in Place 5, announced his official retirement back in May and stated he would not be seeking another term.
“Sometimes it becomes necessary to pause, reset, change your attitude and change your latitude,” Vale wrote on social media earlier this year. “I’ve always thought that serving in politics should be a temporary privilege, not a career.”
Vale previously announced that he and his wife, Lori, plan to relocate to an area close to where Vale grew up near Tampa, Florida. The couple also plans to pursue their passions for traveling, meeting new people and experiencing what it’s like to live in different parts of the country.
“We wish council member Steve Vale all the best, as he goes on his journey,” Mayor Jim Jarratt said during the meeting. “One of the things that you count on when you are mayor is the mayor pro tem, and I've been very fortunate to have two of the best, Mrs. (Trish) Reiner and Mr. Vale. They have always been there, and I am truly and honestly very appreciative of everything that they've done to make this job ... I don't want to say, easier, but they certainly let me go to sleep at night. It’s been good. Thank you, Steve.”
To honor Vale, the city showed a video compiled from various council meetings that featured clips of Vale recognizing city workers and communicating the city’s priorities to state legislators.
“You might have seen a theme — Mr. Encouragement,” City Manager Chris Coffman said. “He’s leaving Texas for wetter pastures ... but more than anything, we wanted to show that video to express to you our gratitude of unwavering support — holy cow — and your encouragement and enthusiasm.”
Coffman said Vale’s dedication to the community reminded him of the Bible verse Ecclesiastes 9:10, which states, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your strength, for there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave, where you are heading.”
"Whatever you can find to do, do it with all your heart,” Coffman said, paraphrasing the scripture. “And you are 100% that person. We thank you for all the encouragement, all the love that you give us and support — not only the administrative side of being a council member, but the extra side of being that support — and encouraging our team every chance you get. I mean, if you don't believe it, I've got the video for you, so you can watch it again later.”
As a token of appreciation, Vale also received a clock, with Coffman jokingly reminding him to change the time zone as soon as he gets to Florida.
Members of the Granbury City Council then took time to express their own appreciations for the beloved council member, as they looked back on their time together as they served the city of Granbury.
“I really didn't know Steven until we ran (for office) together two years ago,” Wadley said. “We've become really good friends. He's a great encourager.
“But the other thing I noticed in the video is — and I see this a lot of the time — he likes to talk a lot,” Wadley continued, chuckling. “It's been just a real pleasure knowing Steve and working on council.”
Place 2 council member Eddie Rodriquez said he is going to miss Vale — especially their conversations.
"That's what's great about being on city council is the diversity ... and just the different lenses that we bring,” Rodriquez said. “I would just say that he (Vale) has been very impactful. He brought a different type of lens to our city council, a different way of thinking and a different way of providing solutions to different problems."
Place 6 council member Greg Corrigan described Vale as a person of integrity, stating that he put his heart and soul into every race for city council.
"When he ran the first time, and the second time, and the third time, he had a rough go," Corrigan said. “But he gave his best effort, and just the fact that he came back to go through that again ... Anyone that has ever run for public office knows that it's not just taxing on your time, but it's taxing on your emotions, it's taxing on your family and everyone that's in your support circle. So, to do that as many times as he did, to stick with it and to keep going until he was successful in his election, just speaks volumes to the type of person that Steve is.”
Jeremy SoRelle, city attorney, touched on how quickly he and Vale became friends. He added he appreciates how Vale always supports organizations like Forward Training Center and Rotary Club of Granbury.
"I can't go to an event or a gala or anywhere in town supporting any charities without seeing Steve there, always with a smile on his face, always supporting everything that he can. The entire community is going to miss you man — the whole community,” SoRelle said. “I do have one issue, though.”
“There’s always a caveat,” Vale remarked, as he chuckled.
"Now I have to teach someone else to read my handwriting when we come out of executive session,” SoRelle joked.
Ullom mentioned how Vale had encouraged him to run for his position since February, but that he has some “very large shoes to fill.”
"I can only hope that knowing that he's had my back this whole time, knowing that my family's had my back, and that the community's had my back, that we're going to be able to go forward and hopefully I'll have a modicum of comparativeness to you,” Ullom said. “But thank you so much, and I appreciate you.”
Place 4 council member Skip Overdier said Vale has not only been a great city council member, but also a great friend to him and his wife, Brenda. Overdier jokingly explained how he was “ambushed,” by Vale and other city council members who tried to convince him to run for a place on the council.
"As soon as he did that, he kind of became my de facto campaign manager, and he was with me throughout the whole campaign to explain to me exactly what I need to do every hour of every day. He was just a great inspiration to me. When I grow up, I want to be just like Steven,” Overdier joked.
While Overdier expressed how difficult it is to see Vale go, he acknowledged that Vale's contributions have made Granbury a better place than it was when he first came here.
“That’s a real measure of a person,” he said. “And Steve, I will tell you that certainly says a lot about you.”
Jarratt said that while the council had given some insight into Vale’s character, they didn’t touch on the tremendous knowledge he brought with him into the organization.
“He will talk about his business experience; it was solid. He will talk about the work that he sent out at the airport, and it’s solid,” Jarratt said. “I mean, that knowledge that he brings to the council is going to be missed, as well as the rest of your family ... You have made a big impact on this community — and it's not too late to change your mind.”
Vale chuckled and said, “I got a 26-foot truck over at the Hilton Garden Inn that would say we're headed out in the morning.”
Following the touching remarks from his fellow council members, Vale expressed congratulations to both Wadley and Ullom for earning a place on the council.
“I don't know about the rest of you, but hell, I can't remember voting for either one of them,” Vale said, with a smile.
He also shared how former council member Tony Mobly and former Mayor Nin Hulett “cornered” him downtown and encouraged him to run for city council. After saying no about two or three times, he decided to instead serve on the Granbury Planning and Zoning Commission for three years.
"I decided to run (for city council) in 2021 to have some stability in our community and on our city council,” Vale said. “I ran on the platform to keep Granbury moving forward, and that's really what I tried to help do — mission accomplished.”
Vale touched on how he also came up with the idea to host the Great Granbury Cleanup in 2023, while he and Coffman were on their way to a Texas Municipal League training session in San Antonio.
“It's just been a passion of mine,” he said. “I look around the room, there's no trash. That's good. Anyway, Chris was very receptive to the idea, and these guys did a ton of work, Jeff (Newpher) and Chuck (Licata), in putting it all together ... It's nice driving around with a clean town, so hopefully it’s a little bit better.”
He added that sometimes, it’s necessary to pause in life and take a reset — to “change your latitude,” and “change your attitude.”
“That’s kind of what we’re doing,” he said, referring to his and Lori’s move. “I just want to say thanks for all your encouragement, support and love that you've given to Lori and I.”
With tears in his eyes, Vale reflected on his time on the council and all the meaningful connections he has made over the years.
“God bless you all,” Vale added. “And God bless Granbury, Texas.”
