Ort resigns from Granite Shoals council
Published: Mon, 09/12/22
Ort resigns from Granite Shoals council
DailyTrib.com
09/12/22
Dakota Morrissiey
Granite Shoals City Councilor Phil Ort resigned from his position on Sept. 12
due to what he called conflicts with city and personal responsibilities. Staff photo
Granite Shoals City Councilor Phil Ort of Place 6 resigned from his position on the morning of Monday, Sept. 12, citing personal issues as the cause.
In a post on the Facebook page “Residents of Granite Shoals,” Ort wrote that the responsibilities of his position on the City Council were conflicting with his responsibilities at home. An ailing mother-in-law in Belton and a disabled mother in Canyon Lake requiring extensive travel as well as a debilitating injury have made it difficult to focus on council matters, he said.
“My goal was to leave the city in a better place than when I became involved in city matters,” Ort wrote. “I believe I’ve accomplished this goal.”
Ort was elected May 7 to his second term on the council and sworn in on May 24. He was first elected in November 2020 after he spearheaded a recall election of then-Granite Shoals Mayor Carl Brugger and City Councilor Bruce Jones. Both Brurgger and Jones resigned before the May 2021 recall election could be held. Since Jones was on the November 2021 ballot unopposed, he was returned to his seat after that election. Jones lost his seat in May 2022 to challenger Aaron Garcia.
Before he was elected to the council, Ort helped form the Citizens’ Rights Group in protest of a $37,000 raise the council gave former City Manager Jeff Looney in August 2020. The goal was to recall the city officials responsible for giving Looney the raise.
Looney was terminated on June 14 of this year after months of deliberation and assessment of his performance by the council. Ort moved to have Looney fired. The vote was 6-0 as Councilor Steve Hougen was absent.
Granite Shoals Mayor Will Skinner told DailyTrib.com that Ort’s resignation was completely unexpected.
“When he resigned, I was pretty shocked,” Skinner said. “There’s a lot of citizens out there that back him. He was all about everyone’s rights in Granite Shoals.”
The council will have 30 days to appoint a new councilor. Those interested should go to Granite Shoals City Hall at 2221 N Phillips Ranch Road and fill out an application. The city will receive applications for 10 days, after which, the council will appoint one of the applicants to serve out the remaining 20 months of Ort’s term. Only Granite Shoals residents may apply.