Pasadena Mayor Calls Hispanic Council Member "Boy" At Council Meeting

PASADENA, TX -- Mayor Johnny Isbell, who is the final months of his last term as mayor, is in hot water again after he called Council Member Cody Ray Wheeler, “boy” during Monday’s council meeting.

The comment from Isbell ignited a short terse exchange between the two men.

The exchange occurred during a council discussion on a tax collection contract.

As Isbell attempted to hurry the vote, Wheeler, who is Hispanic, interjected, “I haven’t had an opportunity to speak yet.”

“Well, you’d better speak up, boy,” Isbell, who is white, immediately replied.

Wheeler and Isbell continued their exchange for several seconds longer, before Wheeler then began to make his point for the record. (Sign up for Patch’s daily newsletter for your neighborhood.)

The comments were a reminder to some of a time when the term, “boy” was used to as a derogatory term toward minorities, particularly African-Americans.

This latest incident comes just weeks after a federal judge ruled against the City of Pasadena in a voting rights lawsuit, initiated by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund over the city’s push in 2013 to shift voting districts, diluting Hispanic voting power in the city.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard the case again in February, and ruled in favor of the judge’s ruling, forcing the city to revert to the former voting scheme to ensure fairness under the Voting Rights Act.

Regardless, voters in Pasadena would have chosen a new mayor, but the ruling opened up the field to greater local participation with 24 total candidates vying for mayoral or council seats.

Voters will cast their ballots in the General Election on May 6.

Also Read: Clock is Ticking on Pasadena’s Appeal of Federal Court Ruling on Redistricting

Image: Shutterstock

Don’t forget to like the Pasadena Patch Facebook Page