Athens Council appoints new mayor

Jun. 8—The Athens City Council unanimously named Toni Garrard Clay as mayor Tuesday morning, filling the vacancy left by the resignation of Monte Montgomery.

"Given what has happened in our community, I could not be more humbled by this appointment," she said. "The importance of the mayor is to provide as much integrity and thoughtfulness as possible from that seat."

Clay was serving as mayor pro-tem and the move to mayor now leaves her former council seat vacant. The City Council has 30 days to appoint someone to fill that vacancy.

"The mayor's position is just one-fifth of the City Council, and I have asked the rest of the council to help me live up to that high standard because it is what I want and what this community deserves," she said.

Before the City Council voted, City Attorney Blake Armstrong explained the procedure for filling council vacancies.

"What our Charter says is that the City 'shall' fill any vacancy on the City Council by appointment within 30 days," Armstrong said. "So the Charter, in and of itself, is somewhat restrictive in that section. It does not give this Council any discretion to even entertain the idea of a special election."

Former Mayor James "Monte" Montgomery resigned June 4 following his arrest the day before by Longview police on charges of online solicitation of a minor and sexual conduct.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the DPS Criminal Investigations Division in conjunction with Longview Police Department, Gregg County Sheriff's Office, Smith County Sheriff's Office, Collin County Sheriff's Office, FBI, and HSI, arrested multiple suspects for online solicitation of a minor charges during an operation Wednesday and Thursday.

Montgomery and others were arrested when they arrived at an undisclosed location after soliciting sex online with investigators posing as minors. He was booked into the Gregg County Jail and released on a $300,000 bond with conditions Thursday, according to jail records.

DPS stated in a press release:

"Solicitation of a minor involves a defendant asking or engaging in a conversation with a minor and during the course of that conversation, the defendant asks (or solicits) the minor to meet them for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act. Online Solicitation of a Minor under Texas Penal Code Section 33.021 is a felony of the second degree. Second-degree felonies are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine."