Marfa City Council Member Travis Acreman is calling on three of his colleagues to resign after a hot mic recording captured them laughing and expressing a preference for male candidates during a public meeting about the search for a new city administrator.
According to a report by Mary Cantrell at The Big Bend Sentinel, Council Members Eddie Pallarez, Raul Lara, and Mark Morrison engaged in a whispered conversation during the July 3 meeting, joking about considering only men for the position and making dismissive comments about women working at City Hall. No members of the public were present in the room at the time, but the meeting was recorded, as required.
Pallarez was heard saying, “I’m looking at males,” followed by laughter and remarks from Lara and Morrison, including, “Just between us men.” The conversation continued until the mayor returned.
Acreman, who alerted The Sentinel after reviewing the footage, called the exchange “disrespectful” and “tainted by bias,” stating that the only way forward is for the three council members to resign.
Morrison later told The Sentinel the comments were “wrong” and offered to recuse himself from the hiring committee if needed. Lara initially downplayed his involvement before acknowledging he participated. Pallarez defended himself, but referred to Acreman as “an idiot” in comments to the paper.
There are currently no women serving on Marfa’s City Council.
Read Mary Cantrell’s full story at The Big Bend Sentinel:
https://bigbendsentinel.com/2025/07/08/just-between-us-men-acreman-calls-on-fellow-council-members-to-resign-following-sexist-remarks/
