A Godley City Council member who was arrested before a meeting this month, preventing her from voting on controversial measures after mass resignations at city hall, is asking a judge to wade into the turmoil that has gripped this small Johnson County community for weeks.

Councilwoman Jennifer Thompson said she and attorney Christopher Carter filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order seeking, among other things, to nullify those votes Feb. 7.

Among those council votes were decisions to appoint replacements for city officials who walked out since October.

The motion also asks a judge to place a restriction on Mayor Acy McGehee’s power, without all five council members’ consent, and to allow Thompson to put her name on the ballot in a council election in May.

Thompson has served on the council since May 2022 and was arrested shortly before the first council meeting since Godley’s city hall was forced to shut down due to mass resignations.

Her arrest was on charges of tampering with government records. She later told the Star-Telegram that she had edited an unpublished council agenda for a special-called Dec. 27 meeting and sent it back to the city secretary.

An arrest warrant included in the emergency motion shows the former city secretary had claimed Thompson had created a “forged and changed agenda” after it had already been posted. Thompson told the Star-Telegram Friday the document had never been stamped. Thompson’s charges have since been dropped.

Since October, Godley’s police chief, administrator, city attorney and secretary have resigned. The court clerk has retired.

Documents provided to the Star-Telegram and given to each member of council showed former police chief Jason Jordan, who was the first to resign, was given a choice to be investigated for two complaints that came in from other officers or tender his resignation.

Two of the empty positions in Godley have been filled. Nicole Corr with Wyatt Hamilton Findlay in Flower Mound was hired as the interim city attorney, and the council voted to hire interim city secretary Kathleen Rice on Feb. 7.

As of Friday, city hall is open but the doors are still locked, Thompson said. The shutdown, the documents read, was for McGehee’s “own personal gain, and to gain an advantage over the Godley City Council and the citizens of Godley.”

The emergency motion claims the mayor “acted unilaterally and in collusion” with two council members in obtaining Thompson’s false arrest. Thompson said those two council members were Jan Whitehead and Maryann Matthews.

Thompson’s arrest allowed McGehee to use his voting power in order to get several items passed on the agenda at the Feb. 7 meeting, the documents claim.

Godley has a six-person council that consists of the mayor and five members. If a member is absent, the mayor is allowed to vote to break a tie.

Had Thompson not been arrested, certain agenda items would not have passed, the emergency motion claims. The motion also claims McGehee has acted as the sole hirer of city officers without council approval. Thompson has also not been allowed to apply and put her name on the ballot for the upcoming council election in May, the documents say.

Thompson said McGehee was seen tapping Whitehead and Matthews during the Feb. 7 meeting, she wrote in a declaration included in the emergency motion.

Video of the meeting shows McGehee tapping Whitehead’s arm before she made a motion on an agenda item. Whitehead was seconded by Matthews. The video then shows McGehee tapping Matthews a few seconds later, and she raised her hand quickly to say “aye” and pass the agenda item.

Thompson believes the tapping was done to persuade both council members’ votes, she wrote in her declaration.

Whitehead and Matthews did not respond to emails for comment Friday afternoon.

The hirings of the interim city secretary, city attorney and a police officer were met with objections from members of the council, the documents read.

“Yet, the Mayor continues to flood the job opportunities with person(s) that are solely loyal to him, and not approved by the city council, whom has the authority and power of governance over the City,” the documents read.

McGehee did not respond to an email for comment Friday.

Thompson told the Star-Telegram she thinks it’s time for the people to stand up, to not be afraid and know they have rights.

“I want people to understand that they can stand up to people in public offices, that we will not be silenced and we will have the authority to make things right,” Thompson said. “They need to be held accountable.”

Carter did not return an email and phone call for comment Friday.