After two years Al-Ghafry moves on but says he was a positive force during his tenure
By Rita Cook
Correspondent
Texas Metro News
DESOTO – It was mainly an uphill battle for the city manager in DeSoto Majed Al-Ghafry, who had been with DeSoto for just two years when he resigned a few weeks ago.
Al-Ghafry presented council with his resignation, and his last day will be July 26.
While it seems the loudest of the naysayers were finally happy, the remainder of DeSoto residents seem to be maintaining a wait and see attitude as to what comes next.
DeSoto Mayor Pro Tem Crystal Chism mentioned Al-Ghafry came in without full support from the city council, which wreaked havoc from the beginning.
In his resignation letter he specifically thanked DeSoto Mayor Rachel L. Proctor for the “unwavering support, trust, and partnership provided throughout my tenure.”
He also mentioned the City Council support, and he pointed out “Together with the City’s Teams, we have maintained the City’s strong financial position, advanced key infrastructure and economic development initiatives, enhanced organizational effectiveness, and continued positioning DeSoto for long-term success.”
To that end, in an interview last week with Al-Ghafry we discussed a few of the main issues that have plagued the city manager during his tenure.
Al-Ghafry began by saying he would like to spend at least a week with his replacement to get the person up to speed even though he added “Everyone is aware of what I am doing as City Manager.”
Other items Al-Ghafry cleared up were the rumor he was not living in DeSoto. That story hit social media about a month ago with vengeance.
“Untrue,” Al-Ghafry explained. “I have an apartment in DeSoto, and I never sold my property in Dallas, and I was very clear with the city council that I was not selling my property in Dallas. My residence is here in Desoto, and I acquired that per my contract. It said I had one year until I found a place to live in DeSoto and I did.”
Al-Ghafry explained he had several grandchildren and he would go to his place in Dallas to see his grandchildren over the weekends.
“Other people have other places to go in the country and stay and I was not different than that nor did my contract say my wife or my children had to live with me in DeSoto.”
Thorntree Golf Club was another thorn in Al-Ghafry’s side and to put that to rest he explained “Everything was done legally, morally and ethically and with the full knowledge of the city council. Regarding the checks that were controversial all dollars were approved by the city council, and it included a variety of due diligence, paperwork and more.”
The positive future for the golf course includes a contract “with the Koreans who are leasing the property for the first five years, and they will improve it and the city will help them with incentives. Once they make the improvements it is up to them to buy it outright or continue leasing it and add more investment to it. Right now, everything it owned by the city, and the Korean will pay taxes, which are part of the agreement we did with abatements.”
Al-Ghafry said the city will make money on it in terms of long-term because of the property tax they will pay, the sales tax they will be bringing and if they purchase it there will be more property taxes paid.
As for his highlights during his time with DeSoto he said, “Everything in every department has improved.”
He named the completion of the ARC under budget adding that was “almost a million dollars.”
He also added they spent over $1 million in an amended budget on things they did not know about such as the Olympic-size swimming pool.
He said the city’s budget has remained balanced and he introduced priority-based budgeting showing where money goes and how it is spent.
There are several economic development projects, and the city was able to secure a $3 million grant from congresswomen Jasmine Crockett for a new public safety building in the next few years.
Al-Ghafry said he believes most people did not have a problem with him, but the people who show up to the city council meetings are the “antagonists for one reason or another.”
We also talked about the killing of the coyotes, which he and DeSoto Police Chief Joe Costa who have not always seen eye to eye agreed on with a safety-first attitude.
Al-Ghafry said he decided to leave his job in DeSoto because “I think the negativity had affected me and the last three months before my decision was a personal attack on my integrity and that bothered me.”
He is excited for his new opportunity as City Manager in Lawrence, Kansas. He has people he knows in the area already and he is looking forward to the opportunities offered there from the pressing issues of housing and homelessness to public safety integration of response time to workforce growth and retention. No word on who will take Al-Ghafry’s position, but there have been rumors surrounding an incoming “interim” who might take the temporary vacancy while council searches for a future replacement.
