Former Navasota city manager candidate explains why he withdrew at the last moment

NAVASOTA, Texas (KTRK) -- Some Navasota neighbors said you could've heard a pin drop after what they learned regarding a city manager candidate during a recent council meeting.

Navasota likes to say it's 'so much and so close.' This week it was both of those things.

So much attention has been paid to city hall. And it was so close to a big change.

But minutes before anything happened, this announcement changed everything.

"At 5 p.m., the city received written notice from Theo Melancon that he is withdrawing his candidacy for city manager," Council Position 4 Mayor William Miller said.

For two months, the council has looked for a new city manager. A person who oversees the day-to-day operations, including managing city departments.

On Thursday, there was one finalist left: Theo Melancon. He withdrew an hour before the meeting, looking at people in the audience, including Taylor Perry, stunned.

"I think you could've heard a pin drop," Perry recalled. "It took us all by surprise. It was definitely a good feeling though."

Perry is one of 13 people who spoke at the meeting. She said after looking at allegations into Melancon's previous positions, she grew worried about financial issues and employee turnover.

"It was a big shadow that was casted on him from a reputation standpoint, and I don't think that's something that Navasota wants or deserves," Perry said.

Melancon recently served as Dickinson's city manager. He left a week ago and received a $150,000 severance.

ABC13 contacted the Dickinson mayor about why they parted ways. We didn't hear back.

However, in a social media post, the mayor says it was time to move on due to division within the community.

Melancon spoke to ABC13 on the phone. He said Navasota neighbors were fed misinformation from Dickinson neighbors over financial woes, audits, and employee turnover.

He spoke highly of Navasota and said he withdrew because the misinformation became a distraction. Melancon said he left Dickinson to pursue opportunities both in and out of state.

One of those is no longer Navasota, where neighbors are looking forward to what's next.

"It feels good to hear that," Perry said. "I'm all about giving individuals grace and I hope that he's able to get back on his feet again, but Navasota was not the right decision or position for him."

Navasota is going to approach the hiring of a city manager differently this time. It voted to create a ten-person committee, which will then present a number of names to council members, who will then make a decision.

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