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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Ceremony Honoring Outgoing City Council Members - January 14, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, January 14, 2025

BodyCorpus Christi, Texas

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, January 14, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 29:57

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:37

Hello?

0:41

Okay.

0:43

Good morning.

0:44

We're gonna go ahead and get the ceremony um started.

0:47

Good morning, everyone.

0:48

Uh we're gathered today to recognize council members Michael Hunter, Jim Klein, Mike Pusley, and Dan Suckley who have completed their terms on the City Council.

1:00

This is a bittersweet occasion for all of us.

1:03

It's been a distinct honor serving with these gentlemen.

1:07

We will present each of you with a token of appreciation for your dedicated service to our community.

1:13

And you will each have an opportunity to say a few words, of course, and our fellow council members will also have an opportunity uh to join us in the well and and have some farewell remarks.

1:24

So, um first I'd like to recognize Councilman Michael Hunter if you'll step

Unassigned speaker

1:29

up.

Speaker 1

1:30

Michael was appointed in March of twenty sixteen to fill the unexpired term of Councilmember Lillian Rio Hus, who resigned to accept a position in San Antonio.

1:40

He was elected to the City Council in November of twenty sixteen.

1:44

Michael Hunter served as an at-large council member from twenty sixteen to twenty twenty four.

1:50

During his tenure, Michael served as the president and vice president of the Corpus Christi Housing Finance Corporation.

1:57

He also served as the council's uh liaison to the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation, Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, Cor the Corpus Christi Business and Job Development Corporation, and the Corpus Christi B.

2:13

Corporation.

2:14

He also served on the audit committee, the municipal court committee, and the Coastal Bend Council of Governments.

2:21

Michael, we present you with a commemorative plate from Allo Tile and a city swag bag, and we hope that you enjoy these gifts.

Unassigned speaker

2:48

Oh, very

Speaker 1

2:51

thank

Speaker 2

2:51

you, Michael.

2:52

Would

Speaker 1

2:52

you like to say a few words?

Speaker 2

2:53

Sure, sure.

2:56

Uh oh, we got more presents.

Speaker 1

2:59

Oh, oh, I'm sorry.

3:00

Okay.

3:02

Okay, and that is from the city manager's office.

3:05

There you go.

3:06

There you go.

3:07

So

Speaker 2

3:11

I put this on my

Unassigned speaker

3:12

screen.

Speaker 1

3:14

Change the name of your street tomorrow.

3:16

Do

Speaker 2

3:16

you want me to wait until then?

3:18

Okay.

3:19

Well, thank you, everybody.

3:21

Um, it almost seems like we should retire all the time and get all these presents, you know.

3:29

But it's it's been a wonderful journey up here.

3:31

In fact, uh Councilmember Mark Scott's here and Carolyn Vaughn will be here in a little bit.

3:36

And they were actually part of that council that gave me the opportunity to serve in 2016.

3:44

Same with Judge Lucy Rubio.

3:47

And it was a wonderful experience.

3:49

Learning all the all that you have to take in to be a city council member, especially to a city like our own, where it's so unique was a tremendous experience.

3:59

It really was.

4:00

It was an honor to serve all of you.

4:03

Um I couldn't really ask for a better opportunity than to be one of the leaders of your city.

4:10

So thank you very, very much for everything.

4:12

It was an honor to serve with all of you.

4:15

And uh to the future council members, good luck.

4:19

And don't blame the past councils.

Speaker 1

4:29

Thank you, Michael.

4:30

Next, we will recognize uh Councilman Jim Klein.

4:34

He proudly represented our community as an at-large council member before serving on council.

4:40

Jim served as the chair of the Corpus Christi Landmark Commission, Vice Chair of the New Aces County Historical Commission, President of the Del Mar Chapter, or Delmar College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, President of the Texas Association of College Teachers, and the Sierra Club.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

Councilmember Klein served as a member of the Council Audit Committee.

Speaker 1

5:03

Unfortunately, Jim could not be with us today due to a conflict with his teaching schedule.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Board And Committee Appointments█████████████████████████████████████████████52%

Procedural██████████████████████25%

Personnel Matters████████████████19%

Public Engagement███4%

Summary of Proceedings

Ceremony for Outgoing City Council – January 14, 2025

The Corpus Christi City Council held a farewell ceremony on January 14, 2025, to honor outgoing council members Michael Hunter, Jim Klein, Mike Pusley, and Dan Suckley. Mayor Paulette Guajardo opened the ceremony, and each departing member (or a representative) was recognized with gifts and had the opportunity to speak. Remaining council members then offered farewell remarks.

Opening Remarks

Mayor Guajardo welcomed attendees and expressed gratitude for the service of the four outgoing council members, noting it was a “bittersweet occasion.”

Outgoing Council Member Recognitions

Councilmember Michael Hunter (at-large, 2016–2024): Mayor Guajardo reviewed his service history, including roles on the Housing Finance Corporation, CEDC, Convention & Visitors Bureau, and various committees. Hunter thanked the council and staff and wished the future council good luck, advising them not to “blame the past councils.” He received a commemorative plate and a city swag bag.
Councilmember Jim Klein (at-large): Klein could not attend due to a teaching conflict. Councilmember Campos read his prepared remarks, in which Klein thanked staff and fellow council members, expressed commitment to accessible government, and congratulated the newly elected council. Gifts were set aside for him.
Councilmember Mike Pusley (at-large, 2020–2024): Mayor Guajardo listed his prior community service (County Commissioner, Planning Commission, etc.). Pusley spoke briefly, praising City Manager Peter (likely Peter Zanoni) and city staff, and noting he was returning to the County Commissioners Court. He received a plate and swag bag.
Councilmember Dan Suckley (District 4): His service included the Audit Committee, Island Reinvestment Zone No. 2, and the Community Improvement Committee. Suckley thanked his family, his employer American Bank, the city manager, and staff. He encouraged continued civic leadership for Corpus Christi. He also received gifts.

Farewell Remarks by Remaining Council Members

Councilmember Gil Hernandez thanked each outgoing member personally, noting the difficulty of public service and the “nasty things” said about candidates. He called them a “wonderful group.”
Councilmember Rowling (likely Roland) gave emotional thanks, calling Mike Pusley a brother and praising Dan Suckley’s quiet demeanor and Michael Hunter’s gentlemanly qualities. Rowling also lauded Jim Klein as a “consummate gentleman.”
A third council member (possibly Mark Scott or another) spoke about long acquaintances with Pusley and Suckley, and recalled one-on-one conversations with Hunter. They expressed gratitude for the service and the families’ sacrifices.
City staff member (apparently from the City Secretary’s office) thanked the outgoing council for their partnership and support.

Mayor Guajardo adjourned the ceremony at approximately 9:30 a.m., allowing time for photographs before the next meeting scheduled at 10:00 a.m.

Meeting Transcript

Hello? Okay. Good morning. We're gonna go ahead and get the ceremony um started. Good morning, everyone. Uh we're gathered today to recognize council members Michael Hunter, Jim Klein, Mike Pusley, and Dan Suckley who have completed their terms on the City Council. This is a bittersweet occasion for all of us. It's been a distinct honor serving with these gentlemen. We will present each of you with a token of appreciation for your dedicated service to our community. And you will each have an opportunity to say a few words, of course, and our fellow council members will also have an opportunity uh to join us in the well and and have some farewell remarks. So, um first I'd like to recognize Councilman Michael Hunter if you'll step up. Michael was appointed in March of twenty sixteen to fill the unexpired term of Councilmember Lillian Rio Hus, who resigned to accept a position in San Antonio. He was elected to the City Council in November of twenty sixteen. Michael Hunter served as an at-large council member from twenty sixteen to twenty twenty four. During his tenure, Michael served as the president and vice president of the Corpus Christi Housing Finance Corporation. He also served as the council's uh liaison to the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation, Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, Cor the Corpus Christi Business and Job Development Corporation, and the Corpus Christi B. Corporation. He also served on the audit committee, the municipal court committee, and the Coastal Bend Council of Governments. Michael, we present you with a commemorative plate from Allo Tile and a city swag bag, and we hope that you enjoy these gifts. Oh, very thank you, Michael. Would you like to say a few words? Sure, sure. Uh oh, we got more presents. Oh, oh, I'm sorry. Okay. Okay, and that is from the city manager's office. There you go. There you go. So I put this on my screen. Change the name of your street tomorrow. Do you want me to wait until then? Okay. Well, thank you, everybody. Um, it almost seems like we should retire all the time and get all these presents, you know. But it's it's been a wonderful journey up here. In fact, uh Councilmember Mark Scott's here and Carolyn Vaughn will be here in a little bit. And they were actually part of that council that gave me the opportunity to serve in 2016. Same with Judge Lucy Rubio. And it was a wonderful experience. Learning all the all that you have to take in to be a city council member, especially to a city like our own, where it's so unique was a tremendous experience. It really was. It was an honor to serve all of you. Um I couldn't really ask for a better opportunity than to be one of the leaders of your city.

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