Lufkin Council Accepts City Manager and Assistant Resignations
After a Nov. 9 special meeting, council unanimously accepted Kevin Gee's resignation. The city confirmed Assistant City Manager Brian Bray also resigned. Interim talks are set for Nov. 16.
Lufkin City Council accepted the resignation of City Manager Kevin Gee at a special meeting Monday afternoon. The Lufkin Daily News reported that the vote to accept Gee's resignation was unanimous. KTRE reported that the city also confirmed the resignation of Assistant City Manager Brian W. Bray.
The city's homepage listed a Special City Council Meeting for Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. Council went into executive session over Gee's employment, then returned to open session. The Daily News said the closed session lasted nearly an hour and that the meeting concluded about 4 p.m. KTRE published its account at 4:19 p.m. CST.
According to the Daily News, Gee's resignation letter said a majority of the council had offered him the chance to resign, and that the resignation was effective Nov. 9, 2026. The paper also reported that Bray had submitted his resignation three days earlier in a letter to Gee, with a final day of Tuesday, Nov. 10, and that Gee signed that letter for the city on Monday. This report does not invent a disciplinary finding beyond what those attributed accounts state.
Who is leaving
Gee became city manager in August 2022 after six months as interim manager, according to the city's administrative staff page. He joined Lufkin in 2018 as city engineer. He is a licensed professional engineer with more than 20 years of experience in transportation and public works and holds a civil-engineering degree from Texas A&M University.
Bray joined the city in August 2023 as assistant city manager, the staff page says. He previously worked for the City of Nacogdoches for 20 years, most recently as community services director and historic preservation officer.
The city's staff biographies still listed both men when checked for this report. That page can lag a same-day personnel change. The resignation facts here rest on the Daily News and KTRE accounts of the council action and the city's confirmation, not on the outdated bio labels.
What the mayor said
Mayor Mark Hicks said Lufkin is at a pivotal point with economic development, investment, jobs and growth, and that those opportunities require the right leadership. “Change is not always easy, but sometimes change is necessary to ensure an organization continues to grow, improve, and meet the expectations of the people it serves,” Hicks said, according to the city statement carried by KTRE and the Daily News.
He said elected officials must decide what is best for the community's long-term interest and that he is “extremely optimistic” about Lufkin's future. “Our focus is on building a city government that is responsive, accountable, forward-thinking, and committed to excellence,” Hicks said. “Lufkin deserves nothing less than strong leadership and a city government that is prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
In the days before the meeting, Hicks had publicly pointed to employee morale, workplace culture and leadership as issues before the council, the Daily News reported in a Nov. 6 story and again in its Nov. 9 resignation coverage. Those attributed concerns are part of the public record around the special meeting. They are not a court finding, and this report does not expand them into charges the city has not published.
What comes next
Council is scheduled to meet Monday, Nov. 16, to consider appointing an interim city manager and set the next steps in the transition, KTRE reported. The city homepage already lists that Nov. 16 council meeting. Until then, residents should look to the city's posted agendas for who is authorized to act for the city.
City Hall is at 300 E. Shepherd, Lufkin, Texas 75901, according to the city website. Hours listed there are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Related reading: Lufkin Became a City on Oct. 15, 1890. Then It Had to Win the Courthouse.
