P&Z volunteer joins Willow Park Council

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August 16, 2012

P&Z volunteer joins Willow Park Council

Christin Coyne CNHI The Weatherford Democrat Thu Aug 16, 2012, 08:00 AM CDT

WILLOW PARK — Filling a vacancy created after former Mayor Marvin Glasgow resigned in June, Brian Thornburg joined the Willow Park City Council Tuesday.

Thornburg, who ran against current city council member Dan Stalling in May and served as vice chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission until his appointment, was appointed to fill the vacant Place 1 position until the May municipal election and took the oath of office.

Richard Neverdousky held the position until the city council appointed him mayor in July.

Thornburg, a staff engineer for Jamak Fabrication in Weatherford and two-year resident of Willow Park, has served on the P&Z commission since October.

“Well, water is certainly the most critical issue at this time,” Thornburg told council members about his priorities. “We need to stay ahead of development.”

Right now the city is behind and that is the reason he agreed to serve on one of the city’s water subcommittees.

“Because if we don’t resolve those issues, a lot of these other things don’t matter,” Thornburg said.

Another candidate for the appointment, Chawn Gilliland, who grew up in Willow Park and currently works as the Aledo ISD police chief, also presented his qualifications to the council Tuesday night.

Gilliland, a former Aledo City Council member, said he was a part of the group that brought surface water to Aledo, something that Willow Park is currently seeking.

Gilliland also said water was a priority for him and that the city was playing catch-up.

Though Gilliland was not currently volunteering for the city, he said he was always willing to help in any way he could.

Bernard Suchocki and Dan Stalling voted for Gilliland, while council members Gene Martin and Amy Podany, along with mayor Richard Neverdousky, voted to appoint Thornburg.