City mayor pro tem accepts new position
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

AVOIDING CONFLICT: Kyle Smith opted to resign from City Council to avoid a conflict with his new post as director of the Coastal Plains Small Business Development Center.

El Campo Mayor Pro Tem Kyle Smith resigned his position on City Council Tuesday night and will soon start a new career helping businesses grow.

His resignation, accepted in a 5-1-1 vote with Councilwoman Gloria Harris against and he abstaining, will create a six-month vacancy on Council (please see related story).

Monday Smith takes the director's post at the Coastal Plains Small Business Development Center, a cooperative of the University of Houston's CH Bauer School of Business and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

"I have a lot to learn," he said, adding the first weeks will be training.

For the last four years, Smith has worked at Greenleaf Nursery in Danevang as the operations manager. Prior to that position, he as general manager at Cardell Kitchen & Bath Cabinetry and for the El Campo Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture.

"Working for the Chamber really whet my appetite for economic development," he said.

Smith will be working with entities in Wharton and Matagorda counties - including the City Development Corp. of El Campo.

The CDC, the industrial development arm of the city funded by a portion of municipal sales tax collections, provides funding to the center.

"This would obviously represent a conflict of interest if I were to remain on council," Smith said in his letter of resignation.

The resigning Councilman said he intended to remain an El Campo resident.

"(I) will continue to support your efforts in making El Campo a better place to work, live and play," Smith said, adding to Council members, "Best of luck to you in the coming months with some very key projects and aggressive growth initiatives that are crucial to the future of economic prosperity in our community."