Mart Mayor Robert Kaiser resigned Monday in protest of the Mart City Council’s decision to oust the city’s top staffer.
The council Monday voted to remove Lambert Little, who was hired in January 2023 as interim city secretary and served as the de facto city administrator for this town of about 1,800 in eastern McLennan County. Little resigned after the council vote, and Kaiser followed suit.
Kaiser said he decided earlier Monday that he would resign as mayor if Little ended up being terminated at the meeting.
“If he stayed I would’ve stayed and continued the fight, but when he gave up and said ‘I’m going home,’ I felt I had no allies,” Kaiser said. “I didn’t have the respect and support of the council, and I never did.”
The council also voted to fire Finance Director Vikki Grimes amid an ongoing internal investigation into the city’s financial accounts. Kaiser said he could not comment on Grimes’ firing beyond saying she was fired for cause.
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Under Mart’s system, Kaiser does not have a vote on the city council. Council members Ethan Deike, Sandra Lynch, John Garrett and Trevor Baize, the mayor pro tem, voted to remove Little, while Council Member Odell Nevils abstained.
Little said Monday’s meeting was the fourth time the council had considered firing him.
Little had served in top roles in several small Texas municipalities, including Mexia, Edna, Hico, Clarendon and Valley Mills, before taking the Mart job last year, according to the Texas Municipal League directory.
Little said he would have liked to stay in Mart, and he does not plan to seek another job in city government.
Little said the Mart City Council has constantly meddled in the day-to-day operations of the city.
“The government remains unstable and I don’t think they will ever excel,” Little said. “I tried and tried and tried but it just became an impossibility.”
Little said he was surprised by Kaiser’s resignation.
Kaiser said his resignation was based on the “dysfunction” of the Mart City Council.
He also said the council has been too involved in day-to-day operations. Kaiser said council members wanted to fire Little because they believed he was not doing his job properly. Kaiser said Little was not perfect and even did things Kaiser did not agree with, but he still had 30 years of experience and was being criticized for small details.
The role of city secretary and administrator will be filled by Police Chief Shane James, who will keep his position as chief.
Kaiser said James has no experience as city administrator and will have his hands full with multiple roles in the city.
Kaiser became mayor in May 2023 after running unopposed for the seat. He said the council will not be able to appoint someone to fill his seat, and must call a special election to find his replacement.
WATCH NOW: In Mart, officials see an opportunity to use the new state water fund both to continue to replace leaky water lines and to fulfill ambitions to become a regional water supplier for eastern McLennan County.
