Dueling Westlake mayors fight for control of town
By Miles Moffeit
Star-Telegram staff writer
The town's residents have shared a nagging interest this week: What would be the next salvo fired between Westlake's dueling mayors?
They got their answer yesterday in the form of a sweeping veto from Dale White, who said he was overturning all 15 actions taken this week by the town's new Board of Aldermen.
The outgoing aldermen appointed White as mayor May 2 to help them power through the disannexation of Ross Perot Jr.'s Circle T Ranch - and their own homes - from the town. The new board opted to grant ousted Mayor Scott Bradley a new trial, effectively reinstating him.
White and Aldermen Carroll Huntress and Howard Dudley had not been seen around Town Hall since Friday. White filed notice of his veto late yesterday afternoon after Town Secretary Ginger Crosswy had closed the doors at Town Hall.
"I knew it was too quiet," Crosswy said, "I hadn't seen them for days."
White's veto covers the board's decision to grant Bradley a new trial and to fire Bill Wood as town attorney.
"I was disappointed to learn through the news media that on Monday night you again claimed falsely to be the Mayor of the Town of Westlake," White said in his statement, which alleges Bradley is violating the state penal code, "...As you know, all of this is nonsense."
White could not be reached to comment further.
In his statement, he also said he is reversing actions to reinstate the town's old boundaries, which comprised the Circle T and $105 million Solana office park.
"The time for grandstanding on your part is over," White stated. "Eventually the truth will prevail and your masquerade will be over. I demand you immediately refrain from further unlawful action as the purported mayor of Westlake, unless and until the judgment that removed you from office is overturned by a court with jurisdiction to do so."
White's move was anticipated by the aldermen, who have already drafted an agenda for Monday that includes ratifying the vetoed items.
Alderman Charla Bradshaw and Bradley accused White of working to protect Perot's interests. They also speculated that Perot's representatives assisted in drafting the veto document, given its technical language.
"Dale White didn't write the letter," Bradshaw said. "The Perots got concerned , so they would have Dale write it and veto everything."
Bradley agreed. "He's obviously working for the Perots, who have a lot of money invested in this," he said. "They will fight like tigers."
Perot representatives said they have not assisted White.
"Dale White's comments are Dale White's comments," Rick Patterson, president of Perot's Alliance Development Co. "He's been mayor a long time."
Huntress and Dudley could not be reached for comment.
Bradley is awaiting a Texas Supreme Court ruling on his appeal to uphold a district court decision blocking his removal from the mayor's office.
The May 3 election gave control of the Board of Aldermen to Bradley's supporters - Bradshaw, Abe Bush and Fred Held - who have been critical of how Perot wants to develop the Circle T, largely without the town's discretion.
The new board filed suits this week against Fort Worth and Southlake and a counterclaim against Roanoke. The former board ceded the bulk of the town to those cities' jurisdictions.
Bradshaw said she and other town leaders will press ahead to restore the town, despite White's veto.
"The saga continues," she said. "Funny, I still haven't seen him, heard from him, nothing. The last time I saw him was last Friday afternoon when he walked in and gave us the town's missing checkbooks. If he's the mayor, why didn't he show up for our Monday meeting?"
Westlake resident David Brown also voiced his puzzlement.
"As I understand it, White's not the mayor and probably never was," Brown said, "I guess we're going to have two mayors vetoing each other for a while. My sense is that this whole thing's just beginning and it's going to be a long time before we get to the end of the road."