According to his application to fill the vacant seat on council, Kotarba has been involved with civic affairs since moving to Woodcreek 13 years ago. He has been on the Planning and Zoning Commission since 2014 and served as the chair
The Woodcreek City Council appointed Joe Kotarba to fill the unexpired term of Councilmember Judy Brizendine.
Brizendine resigned from the city council stating that the number and length of meetings were problematic and that she didn’t agree with Mayor Jeff Rasco’s style of governance.
“I am stepping down due to the number of meetings they are having and the lengthy agendas, which are lasting between 3 to 4 hours, and the control given to the council members as well as the extreme spending of the administration,” Brizendine said. “I am not in agreement with the mayor giving up his chief operating duties and yielding that control to the council members. Since I resigned, Brenton Lewis has resigned, and now I feel like there is a real lack of direction for the city.”
Rasco stated that he and Brizendine “didn’t disagree on everything” and that he appreciated her dissenting view on the current council.
“She voted with the majority as often as not,” Rasco said. “She was generally the lone ‘nay’ vote, if there was one and having been in that position myself the year before where I or (Councilmember Brent Pulley) were the ‘nay’ votes against the other three. She found herself in the same position, and it is not a whole lot of fun.”
Brizendine previously served on the Woodcreek City Council for nearly two full terms before resigning in April of 2019. She was re-elected in 2020 with the unexpired term set to conclude in November of this year. Rasco and the city council appointed Planning and Zoning Commissioner and Chair Joe Kotarba to fill the unexpired term.
“One of the things about losing Judy is she was a different voice with a different perspective than some of our council members,” Rasco said. “Our goal is not to get 5-0 votes on every issue. We want to hear all sides.”
Rasco pointed to Kotarba’s efforts to lead the Planning and Zoning Commission through the Brookmeadow Overlay project. He said that Kotarba had brought in im for the last four years. He also served on the 2030 Planning Commission.
“These experiences have helped me understand the dynamics of small-city government as well as the values and needs of our residents,” Kotarba’s application states. “My approach to government is to work towards maintaining a balance between the values of the past that have made Woodcreek great, and the application of those values to managing emerging issues in a maturing community.”
He has also helped with the Wimberley Village Library’s expansion project and has worked with the Wimberley Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance.
The filing period for the November election is open until August 22.
