In a livestreamed Tuesday meeting, Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton and the board's chair, Christi Craddick, sparred over questions about the fate of the agency's executive director, Kimberly Corley.
Sitton accused Craddick of trying to oust Corely, who has been in her post since late 2015, without consulting the commission's two other members.
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"This isn't a dictatorship," he told Craddick at one point.
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Craddick said she recently met with Corely and indicated she was given an option to resign. She scolded Sitton for bringing up the issue in front of the public.
“I think it’s unfortunate that you decided to embarrass yourself and Kim, frankly, today and have this conversation," she said.
Sitton said he planned to formally ask Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton whether Craddick's handling of the matter violated the state's Open Meetings Act.
Both Craddick and Sitton's offices declined to comment following the meeting. A Railroad Commission spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a question about whether Corley had resigned or been terminated.