The Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 37, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 16, 1984 Page: 3 of 20
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THE TEXAN NEWSPAPER
Zoning chief levels council
By Karl Doemer III
West University City
Council gave him the
boot to protect their own
political lives.
That's the opinion of
former West University
Zoning and Planning
Commission chairman
Robert Kendrick, who
last week was removed
from his position on the
commission by council.
“The main reason
City Council was inter-
ested in having me
removed from the office
was 1 was just digging a
little too deep into what
was going on -- and what
wasn’t going on,” Ken-
drick told The Texan in a
telephone interview
Monday.
"I was an embarras-
sment to them because I
was trying to get them to
do a comprehensive
(land use) plan to bring
them into compliance
with state statute. I dug
up the rules and tried to
apply them uniformly
and they didn't like that
"They are more con-
cerned with their own
political lives than they
are in doing what’s right
for the city,” Kendrick
added.
In a one-page state-
ment released at West
University City Hall last
Wednesday, council an-
nounced: “The City
Council has reviewed
the substance and merit
of allegations of a con-
flict of interest concern-
ing Robert M. Kendrick
in his position as chair-
man of the Zoning and
Planning Commission.
The council finds that
there is no conflict of
interest on Mr. Kend-
rick's part.
“Mr Kendrick made
this council aware of his
involvement in a pro-
posed development on
Duke Street and the
abandoned Virginia
Street right-of-way
through verbal and
written correspondence.
He excused himself
from any discussion or
action by the Zoning and
Planning Commission
on this project.
“Relative to a sub-
division request on Sun-
set and Sewanee, there
were no procedures to
carry out Ordinance
1212 (the city's subdi-
vision ordinance) at the
time application to sub-
divide occurred. This
lack of procedures
caused misunderstand-
ing and misinterpre-
tation between city staff
and concerned citizens.
Clear procedures have
been developed and are
being refined before
other applications are
processed. Citizens con-
cerned with the Sunset/
Sewanee subdivision
will be renotified of
proposer! subdivision
application.
“Mr Kendrick no
longer will serve on the
Zoning and Planning
Commission due to time
and effort requirements
of the commission and
his private concerns.
“The City Council
deems this issue to be
closed and there will be
no Further comment.”
Council launched an
investigation into Kend-
rick’s job performance
early last month after
some West University
citizens appeared before
council to accuse Kend-
rick of “tampering”
with the procedure in a
subdivision request at
3506 Sunset at Sewanee
by getting city em-
ployees to ask some
residents involved in the
subdivision if they
wanted to change their
vote on the subdivision
request.
State law requires city
officials to get the ap-
proval of 66 2/3 percent
of the residents who live
within 500 feet of a
proposed subdivision if
20 percent or more of
the residents file written
objection to the pro-
posed subdivision.
Citizens also accused
Kendrick of having a
“conflict of interest"
because the Zoning and
Planning Commission
was involved in replat-
ting six lots just west of
the 6400 block of Mercer
Street that Kendrick
owns to allow for the
construction of a street
next to the lots that is
necessary for the
development of the lots.
Kendrick said he did
not participate in the
commission votes invol-
ving the replatting of the
lots he owns.
"The question on the
conflict had been docu-
mented both verbally
and written w ay uack
when I originally got
involved (in purchase of
See related
story on
Page 1
the lots). 1 immediately
went down and told the
mayor and city manager
(of the involvement) and
then submitted a letter
dated July 1 (of last
year) withdrawing (from
the votes on the lots’
replatting). I removed
myself from the votes.
“All of this was just
nothing more than a
bunch of muckraking
and mudslinging and
there is no basis for any
of this. There have been
no charges made.
There’s nothing but
rumors and innuendos.
Nobody has the facts.
Nobody has even asked
the facts. I didn’t vote
on the replattings. I
didn't even attend the
meetings in which they
were discussed."
Kendrick said he feels
council “did me wrong
by not supporting me.
They've known the facts
all along. They could
have come out with a
statement to refute this
instead of just letting
the rumors build to the
point where it was
rumors feeding on other
rumors. They (council)
should have come out
with support immedi-
ately. There were no
new facts gained."
He said Mayor Marla
Forristall sent him a
letter on May 4 stating
that “the City Council
has determined that in
the best interest of the
community and the
ability of the Zoning and
Planning Commission to
function, the City
Council hereby removes
Robert M. Kendrick as a
member of the Zoning
and Planning Commis-
sion effective May 4,
1984.”
Kendrick said For-
ristall called him on May
8 to ask him if he wanted
to attend a council work-
shop session that night
to appeal his removal.
“1 told her to furgel
it,' he told The Texan.
“1 didn’t want to have
any more to do with any
of it.
“I have done every-
thing I can to help the
city. I have run into
constant resistance from
the City Council and city
staff. It they are not
going to back you up.
there is no sense in
batting your head
against the wall.
“1 suffered a lot of
abuse due to the fact
that the council didn’t
Local students win Merit Scholarships
Twenty-nine south-
west area students have
been named as National
Merit Scholarship
winners.
Winning four-year,
corporate - sponsored
cholarships were:
--Amy M. Couvillon of
Westbury Senior High,
-Elizabeth A. Cramer
of Sharpstown High,
--Michael X. Goodrich
of the High School for
the Performing and
Visual Arts,
-Linda L. Harrison of
Bellaire Senior High,
--Terry T. Hsu of St.
John’s School.
--Lori E. Lesser of
Bellaire Senior High,
—Terrence Messon-
nier of Strake Jesuit
College Prep.,
-Karen E. Needels of
Bellaire Senior High,
— Shirley M. Shck of
St. Thomas Episcopal
and,
—Coleman Tucker of
St. John’s School.
Winning four-year,
college - sponsored
scholarships were:
-Stephen .1. Adelson
of St. John's School,
— Brad L. Bennick of
Lamar Senior High,
--Laura Brady of Bcl-
laire Senior High,
—Greg A. Buckles of
Lamar Senior High,
-Deborah K. Byars of
Westbury Senior High,
—Marjorie L. Cohen of
Bellaire Senior High,
—Cory S. Fein of
Westbury,
-Laurie B. Finger of
Bellaire,
Adam M. Halperin
of Bellaire and,
-Stephen Jacks of
Westbury.
Also winning four-
year, college-sponsored
scholarships were:
— Elissa R. Keeler of
Bellaire,
— Shai Lavie of
Bellaire,
— Margaret E. Lewis
of Sharpstown,
— David R. Mack
Sharpstown,
-Dan K. O'Keefe of
St. John's School,
— Martin J. Siegel of
Bellaire,
-Miruni Soosaipillai
of St. John's,
--John R. Thomas of
Strake Jesuit and,
-David B. Zanger of
Bellaire High School
' JierMajesty Donmoor
V*- ^ For Very Special Boys
“Words of Wisdom”
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you get from mountain
climbing over mole hills.
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support me. I'm unwill-
ing to tolerate that kind
of continued lack of
support and abuse. 1
have other things to do
with my time than get
abused for donating my
time to civic duty.”
The Texan spoke to
Mayor Forristall and
Councilmen Joe Poli-
chino Jr., Bill Lenhart
and Tom Weatherly
after the statement was
released, but none of
them would elaborate on
the statement.
“The statement is the
only story there is,”
Weatherly said. “We
don’t want to crucify the
man. We think the thing
should be laid to rest as
gently as possible with-
out any criticism of
him.”
“Our statement
speaks for itself,” said
Poliehino. "I've got no
further comment to
make on it.”
However, Poliehino
did say that the council
delayed releasing the
statement because “we
had to give careful cons-
ideration to everything
and that’s what we have
been doing. We did the
best we could. It's be-
hind us and we’re going
to move.”
Councilmen say they
plan to name a replace-
ment for Kendrick on
the five-member com-
mission within the next
few weeks.
The replacement will
join West University
residents Tish Taitte,
Jim Norton, Marcellus
Bettler and Michael
O’Leary on the commis-
sion.
Kendrick, a 35-year
resident of West Uni-
versity who served a
two-year term on the
city’s Zoning Board of
Adjustment before
being appointed to the
Zoning and Planning
Commission by council
last spring, said he is
finished with city
government.
“My wife, Carolyn,
told me that any further
involvement in city poli-
tics in any form is
grounds for divorce.”
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Herrera, Nick. The Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 37, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 16, 1984, newspaper, May 16, 1984; Bellaire, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth638239/m1/3/?q=green+energy: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bellaire Friends Library & Historical Society.