Odessa’s metropolitan political elections in 2020 and 2022 brushed up a brand-new intrigue right into power in town hall: a team of political leaders, nicknamed the Team, whose projects focused the kind of conservative social concerns typical in state and nationwide political elections. Their time in power, however, was noted by an exodus of leading city personnel and troubles with standard city solutions. Last loss, Odessa citizens brushed up 3 participants of the Team revoke workplace.
Texas Monthly author Michael Hardy has actually followed this tale as it unravelled– initial for an item he created in 2023, after that most lately for the October problem of the publication. Today on TM Out Loud, Michael signs up with host Katy Creeping plant in the workshop to discuss the community’s sharp political changes.
This item was created by Sara Kinney, Patrick Michels, and Brian Standefer.
Transcript
Katy Creeping plant (commentary): Hi, and welcome to TM Aloud, special sound narration for Texas Monthly Sound customers. I’m Katy Creeping plant.
A couple of years back, a brand-new guard took power in the city of Odessa. A political outsider– a roof business proprietor called Javier Joven– ended up being mayor. 2 allies signed up with the city board with him, complied with by 2 even more in the political election that complied with. They vowed to shock town hall and introduce an extra traditional type of management– the kind that held persuade in the Texas Capitol. The kind in the White Home currently.
These brand-new authorities in Odessa obtained a label: the Team.
They reached function changing essential city personnel and presenting actions versus abortion and transgender legal rights. On the other hand, however, there were relentless troubles with city solutions, like roadway fixings and the supply of water. And in 2014, individuals of Odessa elected the Team back out.
My coworker Michael Hardy has actually been covering this dramatization considering that it started. His most recent item, in the October 2025 problem of Texas Monthly, is called “A Far-Right Intrigue Took Power in Odessa. After that It Needed to Regulate.”
He joined me today on TM Out Loud to discuss his coverage and what this tale states concerning the instructions of national politics in Texas.
Katy Creeping Plant: Hello There Michael. Many thanks for involving the program.
Michael Hardy: Many Thanks for having me.
Katy Creeping plant: You complied with the tale concerning the disorderly state of regional national politics in Odessa for a very long time. You created an item in the April 2023 problem equally as these brand-new conservative prospects had actually taken control of the council.
And currently, in the October problem of the publication, you inform the tale of their loss from power and the circumstance in the city today. Take us back to when this initial jumped on your radar and what was occurring in Odessa and why did it strike you as so substantial at the time?
Michael Hardy: Sure. So in 2022 Odessa experienced this requisition of their city board by a truly carefully weaved team of conservative lobbyists that were referred to as the Team by their challengers. And it’s type of a tag that simply stuck. And as quickly as they obtained their bulk, they began executing every one of these extremely ideological legislations.
They quickly passed an abortion restriction, stating Odessa a shelter city for the expected. They worked with beginning to pass a transgender washroom expense. They likewise began kind of a cleanup of local government. They discharged the leading 2 city staff members– the mayor and the city lawyer– and they began going after out city staff members that they considered insufficiently traditional.
Katy Creeping plant: I assumed that the initial one you detailed, to make it a shelter city, someone mentioned that they had actually not had a center because community for years. Isn’t that right? So it was kind of repetitive.
Michael Hardy: That’s best.
Katy Creeping plant: Can you offer us your run-through of the significant gamers in this tale and their certifications when they took workplace? Just how did they obtain with each other to create what their challengers pertained to call the Team?
Michael Hardy: So a great deal of individuals had no concept that these individuals were. They type of appeared of no place. The mayor of Odessa, you understand, that took workplace in 2020, was a man called Javier Joven. He had a regional roof covering business. There were other individuals on the council that were court managers, institution managers, local business proprietors. And it actually swiftly emerged to me throughout my coverage that the power was individuals that were sustaining them and moneying them. That they were actually simply kind of pawns in a bigger political fight.
People that had actually run Odessa essentially from time long past were type of a team of magnate of the neighborhood. And, you understand, they were mainly Republican. There were some modest Democrats, yet they type of ran the city on company lines. You understand, whatever benefited company benefited Odessa.
And what occurred is an even more ideological, extreme stress of Republicans emerged, took control of the Ector Region Republican Politician Event, and began pressing their program and obtaining their prospects chosen. And they at some point displaced that pro-business intrigue.
Katy Creeping plant: Why do you believe this occurred in Odessa? Existed anything concerning the city that made it particularly vulnerable to this type of requisition?
Michael Hardy: Well, you understand, it had actually constantly been Republican. Yet I believe due to the fact that there had actually constantly been reduced turnover in metropolitan political elections, it was vulnerable to being taken control of by a reasonably tiny yet natural and efficient and well-funded intrigue. And you can see that in the 2020 mayoral political election that Javier Joven won.
He in fact was available in 2nd throughout the November basic political election, yet after that it mosted likely to an overflow due to the fact that neither prospect obtained a bulk. And he won in an overflow, Joven did. Yet the distinction is [in] the basic political election, concerning 30,000 individuals elected. In the overflow political election, just concerning 5,500 individuals elected.
Katy Creeping plant: Which is exactly how it typically goes, right?
Michael Hardy: That’s exactly how it typically goes.
Katy Creeping plant: The hardcore individuals appear.
Michael Hardy: Yeah. After that in 2022, all 3 city board races were uncontested. So, you understand, they obtained 3 brand-new city board participants, none of whom encountered any kind of resistance.
Katy Creeping plant: And you create that when Javier Joven and his allies safeguarded their bulk in 2022, among their initial relocations was to discharge the mayor, the man that essentially maintains the city running daily. Can you discuss why they discharged him and simply likewise inform us this wild tale of exactly how they selected his substitute?
Michael Hardy: Sure. They never ever actually provided a meaningful description of why they discharged him. What they informed me was that essentially he simply really did not appear straightened with their objective. So they utilized type of unclear language like that. When they did fire him, they actually provided no description. Yet I believe their main point was simply, allow’s obtain individuals that are straightened with us, that will certainly allow us do what we desire, perform our dreams.
So among the initial points they did after shooting the old mayor was authorize an agreement with a little speaking with business in Ft Well worth called T2 Specialist Consulting. It was actually simply one man that ran this kind of point out of his home, and they provided him $330,000 to perform a, well, it was intended to be a nationwide look for a brand-new mayor.
Katy Creeping plant: [$330,000] simply for– simply to do a look for the substitute.
Michael Hardy: That’s right, and you understand, I asked Mayor Joven–
Katy Creeping plant: It appears like a great deal.
Michael Hardy: It was a great deal, and it created a substantial quantity of debate. Mayor Joven satisfied the proprietor at a seminar of the Texas Municipal Organization simply a couple of months previously. The issue was, by all accounts, the search had actually constantly favored one certain prospect. Which was a man called John Beckmeyer. He was a close friend of the chair of the Ector Region Republican Politician Event. He was extremely limited with the Team.
So there was [an] meeting procedure and they did limit the variety of prospects to 4. There were 4 finalists. The only directions that were offered to T2 Consulting was Beckmeyer should be just one of the 4. So after that they do meetings with the council and the Team all selects Beckmeyer.
Katy Creeping Plant: Okay. And I believe you mention in your tale, this is the issue with– in some cases, in a city this dimension– with obtaining new blood is, it’s tough to locate individuals with experience, right, that aren’t currently component of the, like, great old children club or something like that, right?
Michael Hardy: That holds true. If you’re simply looking inside Odessa, there are a restricted variety of service providers that often tend to take care of these points. On the various other hand, if you’re considering a setting like mayor, which is making money $250,000, you understand, those searches, they go throughout Texas searching for individuals with experience.
So to work with someone like John Beckmeyer, that had actually never ever been mayor, had no experience in metropolitan federal government– he really did not also satisfy the needs that T2 Consulting had actually laid out for this placement– actually mystified a great deal of individuals.
Katy Creeping plant: In your most recent tale, you discuss some warmed arguments last October when Joven and 2 of his allies were up for reelection. They needed to respond to concerns concerning their documents. You claim they were barbequed concerning troubles with standard city solutions. What example were individuals whining concerning?
Michael Hardy: Well, for many years, also in the past– and this precedes the Team, so it can not all be laid at their feet– yet individuals have actually been whining for many years concerning negative roadways, maturing facilities. And a variety of city board had actually kicked those points later on. And when the Team was available in, they claimed they were mosting likely to tackle them, yet when they entered workplace, they discharged a number of individuals. So as an example, in the money division, the leading 2 individuals in the money division gave up under stress. And therefore, the 2022 and 2023 audits were not finished.
Since the audits were not finished, the city shed its bond ranking from the bond firms, to make sure that made it more challenging to obtain cash, and there was a collection of troubles similar to this, that … It simply ended up being clear there were many instances of simply inexperience.
Katy Creeping Plant: Can you discuss the water problem?
Michael Hardy: Sure.
Katy Creeping plant: ‘Cause that’s one that I maintained seeing, when I would certainly open up the Odessa American, that was the one that was kind of front and facility for a very long time, right?
Michael Hardy: Yeah. So over the previous 4 or 5 years, the city has actually shed all water on numerous events.
Katy Creeping plant: For in some cases two days, right?
Michael Hardy: As much as two days at once, no running water in the whole city. And participants of the Team that spoke with me have actually urged that they were attempting their finest, that they were working with repairing this. Yet the truth is it simply was not taken care of, and it still isn’t taken care of.
Katy Creeping plant: And after that political election day rolls around and what takes place?
Michael Hardy: So in 2024, on political election day, every one of the participants of the Team that were up for reelection shed. Joven shed terribly. Therefore did 2 of the various other council participants that were up for reelection, Joven was beat by a man called Cal Hendrick, that is actually kind of in the line of the pro-business, modest Republican wing of the celebration that had actually previously ruled Odessa.
Cal Hendrick is a test lawyer that helps an oil and gas insurance provider– you understand, extremely, kind of, gregarious, pleasant, agrees everybody, and clearly disavowed a few of these extremely ideological tasks.
Katy Creeping plant: And after that points obtained actually individual, both throughout the project and in workplace. Can you discuss that?
Michael Hardy: Yeah. Among things the Team ended up being recognized for was actually savage assaults on their challengers– type of a no-holds-barred design of national politics that we have actually ended up being familiar with in the age of Trump. There were a great deal of phony social networks accounts developed that struck their challengers. And although the Team disavowed these accounts, they type of continually birded Team chatting factors and struck challengers of the Team. And after that points actually increase throughout the 2024 project. Among the possible city board participants that is running is a freely gay male and he was struck for being wed to a male by his challenger. He was struck as, you understand, un-Christian, degenerate, actually every slimed strike you can envision. And also Cal Hendrick, that is competing mayor, that is right, was struck himself due to the fact that he came from a church that markets being approving of LGBTQ Christians. Simply coming from that church sufficed for him to obtain struck.
Katy Creeping plant: And it’s a church his household started, right?
Michael Hardy: His household in fact started the church in the very early the twentieth century.
Katy Creeping plant: In your initial tale a pair years back, that tale was actually concerning nationwide celebration national politics contaminating city government. What’s the larger takeaway from your most recent tale? In its flip back to leaders that wish to be dull and practical, do you believe Odessa suggests a brand-new fad?
Michael Hardy: I do not understand if it suggests a fad, yet I believe it suggests what takes place when you attempt to enforce a type of nationwide ideological program at the metropolitan degree where individuals in fact anticipate solutions. When you stay in a city, you begin to see when the garbage isn’t obtaining grabbed, when the roadways–
Katy Creeping plant: You definitely see if you can not transform your water on.
Michael Hardy: You see when you can not transform your water on. So, you understand, relatively or unjustly, the Team’s challengers claimed, “Look, why are you investing all this moment prohibiting abortion when, primary, abortion’s currently prohibited in Texas– and there have not been abortion facilities in Odessa considering that at the very least the eighties– when we have actually obtained real troubles on our hands.”
And the Team did not pull back throughout the mayoral argument in 2024. Joven claimed, “We are definitely dedicated to right-wing traditional reasons.” He would certainly not excuse that, and he guaranteed even more of it. Yet citizens went the various other method.
Katy Creeping plant: When it comes to the city, what’s the enduring impact of this requisition, do you believe? What type of work is encountering the city’s brand-new management?
Michael Hardy: Well, Mayor Hendrick and various other recently chosen council participants informed me that there is a significant stockpile of points that require to be done. To start with, they require to finish the city audits that were never ever finished so the city can return its bond ranking. They require to begin developing a brand-new water therapy plant. They require to change pipelines, they require to fix roadways. There’s a lengthy checklist of program products for this brand-new council.
Katy Creeping plant: Do you seem like the people on the Team were quite open with you?
Michael Hardy: Several Of them were initially. A few of them spoke with me, although one councilwoman, Denise Swanner– that was elected out lately in 2023– I asked her what her leading concern got on city board and she claimed, “If I might do it, it would certainly be to have some type of control over the general public and the media.”
Katy Creeping plant: What does that imply?
Michael Hardy: Suggesting control what they claim due to the fact that she was tired of being slammed, I believe. Yet you understand, I’ll allow her comment promote itself. You can review it in my 2023 tale.
Katy Creeping Plant: Yeah.
Michael Hardy: And Afterwards after I published that tale, essentially, some individuals quit speaking to me. They seemed like that 2023 tale was unjust to them. So they did not accept the much more current tale.
Katy Creeping Plant: So Michael, after reporting on tales like these, can you likewise discuss simply the troubles in covering tales in 2025?
Michael Hardy: Well, I study the last 5 years– and also returning prior to that– there’s been a stable disintegration of public rely on the media that has actually referred an absence of rate of interest from public authorities in complying, in providing meetings, in replying to concerns. And it ends up being kind of a vicious circle. Somehow, it has actually compelled me and various other political reporters to return to the type of standard shoeleather reporting that press reporters have actually constantly done. And in fact the Odessa American, which is the paper of document in Odessa, it has a lengthy background–
Katy Creeping plant: They do a fantastic work.
Michael Hardy: They do do a fantastic work, under a great deal of stress. They obtained a substantial quantity of objection from Mayor Joven, from participants of the Team, for their crucial coverage. Really, at the mayoral argument, last loss, Mayor Joven specifically was simply definitely assaulting the Odessa American for bold to release the fact. It had not been that they were making points up. It was that they were informing individuals what was taking place, which was not appropriate.
So, there was a duration in time where you might simply most likely to any kind of political leader and simply tape what they claimed, and some press reporters wound up, however, acting even more like clerks. So I see it in fact as a chance to, “Okay, you do not wan na speak to me”– and this occurs with both Democrats and Republicans–” you understand, I can return and I can enjoy your speeches. I can speak to individuals that understand you and find out where you’re originating from.” So it does make my work a little more challenging. Yet on the various other hand, it’s not intended to be a simple work.
Katy Creeping plant: Well, thanks a lot, Michael. I actually value your time.
Michael Hardy: Many Thanks, Katy.
Katy Creeping plant (commentary): That was my discussion with Michael Hardy.
You’ll locate his tale, “A Far-Right Intrigue Took Power in Odessa. After that It Needed to Regulate,” in the October 2025 problem of Texas Monthly. It was modified by Ben Rowen and fact-checked by Will Bostwick.
This item was created by Sara Kinney, Patrick Michels, and Brian Standefer.
We’ll be back with even more from the web pages of Texas Monthly following week.
