NEWS
Council must fill precinct 1 seat by June 23; applications now being accepted
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The Bowie City Council will accept applications until June 12 from persons interested in filling out the unexpired term of precinct one councilor with plans to fill the vacancy on June 22.
During Monday’s council session the resignation of Precinct One Councilor Thomas Kent was accepted. Councilor Tami Buckmaster cast the lone no vote. Per the city charter, the council has 30 days to fill a vacancy or call a special election in November for the mayor’s position or any council position.
Kent resigned on May 15 noting in his resignation his effort to create a double-vacancy for mayor and a councilor forcing a special election. A few weeks earlier, Bill Miller resigned as mayor after less than six months on the job.
City officials obtained legal opinions on the issue and with Kent’s resignation not formally accepted until Monday, the 30-day clock had not started, therefore, there was no double vacancy. Burris was named to fill the unexpired term of mayor on May 18.
During items of community interest, Burris commented about social media posts that said the council broke the law and did not have a quorum at the May 18 meeting.
Kent resigned and Tami Buckmaster did not attend, which left four councilors present.
Burris said people are being told the council broke the law and there was no quorum, but that is wrong. She stated City Attorney Che Rotramble was in attendance that night and stated there was a quorum. Legal opinions from the Texas Municipal League also agreed.
The Bowie City Council approved a lease with Sean Reno for the development of a BMX Race Park on city-owned property next to the Haggar Baseball Complex. The land is the former site of sludge ponds that were closed many years ago. The lease will be year-to-year at $1 per year.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
The Bowie City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on June 23.
The agenda includes both old and new business items.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will make his report on the 2026-27 budget process, bid opening for the Glenn Hills lift station on July 16 and the bid for Rock and Pillar repairs.
In new business a pair of planning and zoning committee recommendations for replats at 107 E. Nelson and 412 Green will be reviewed. An ordinance adopting an office of emergency management amending a present ordinance will be offered.
Old business will see the second reading of the pickleball court reservation fee ordinance and the ordinance prohibiting drilling and mining or the reopening of an abandoned well or mine in any public park in the city limits.
A HEAT ADVISORY will be in effect from noon until 9 p.m. today (Thursday). Please plan accordingly.
Hear Audio Alert:https://hrpow.us/oeFZANN
Montague County Sheriff Marshall Thomas has confirmed human skeletal remains were recovered on June 13 in the Sunset area, and they could possibly be those of a flight attendant believed to have been murdered almost a year ago in the Fort Worth.
The murder suspect, Dennis William Day, 66, admitted in June 2025 to strangling Rana Soluri, 47, an Envoy flight attendant who lived with Day during that last year. She was reported missing by a co-worker on June 11 and had not been seen or heard from since March 2025.
Day initially denied any involvement, but later admitted to the murder and indicated he dumped her body somewhere in the Montague County area. Lawmen have scoured the areas in questions in both Montague and Wise County, but found nothing.
Sheriff Thomas said on June 13 the SO received a call of possible skeletal remains in the Brushy Creek area north of Poss Dyer Lane on Farm-to-Market 1749. A deputy went to the scene and confirmed it was human remains.
Investigators responded and kept the scene secure overnight until staff from the University of North Texas Forensic Anthropology Center could arrive and made the recovery on June 14. A Texas Ranger and staff from the Fort Worth Police Department also were on scene.
“There is no determination made yet on how long it has been there,” said Thomas. “The anthropologist was pleased to recover most of the skeleton in these conditions. Heavy rains previously made the past searches difficult. We are working jointly with Fort Worth to make an identification and if it is the victim in their homicide.”
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