Everardo Zamora, a Uvalde city councilman, has been named as mayor pro tempore until the next mayoral election in November after Cody Smith, the mayor of Uvalde, Tex., resigned due to health issues. Smith, who had taken office in November 2021 after being reelected following the resignation of his predecessor Don McLaughlin, expressed gratitude to the community for their support as he addressed unforeseen medical challenges he faced in recent weeks. He made the decision to step down to prioritize his health after consulting with others and reflecting on the situation.
During Smith’s time as mayor, the city released a report from an independent investigator defending the actions of local police officers on the day of the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers. Previous reports by the Texas House and Department of Justice had criticized law enforcement for their response time. The release of this report led to strong emotional reactions from city council members and parents of victims, including Kimberly Mata-Rubio, who had lost her daughter in the shooting and ran against Smith in last year’s mayoral election.
A special meeting of the Uvalde city council is scheduled to discuss the shooting at Robb Elementary School as well as other topics related to public safety and emergency management. This is also happening as Uvalde’s police chief Daniel Rodriguez prepares to retire on April 6th. Rodriguez’s retirement announcement came shortly after a controversial report was made public which criticized law enforcement’s response time during last year’s mass shooting that claimed 19 students and two teachers’ lives.
