Your trusted source for community news
Editor's Note: This story has been corrected with Deputy City Manager Jawaria Tareen's correct title.
Internal city emails obtained by the Branch Herald through an open records request describe a June 9, 2025, incident in which Mayor Terry Lynne allegedly confronted a senior city employee in a manner that Mayor Pro Tem and District 2 Councilmember Tina Bennett-Burton called “unprofessional, intimidating, hostile, inappropriate.”
The June 10 emails also show City Manager Ben Williamson stating that “the Mayor’s behavior has become a pattern” requiring repeated intervention and affecting “the entire City.”
Bennett-Burton’s description of the incident, sent to Williamson, city legal counsel and other officials, recounts that Deputy City Manager Jawaria Tareen had just ended a phone call with Lynne in which he told her, “I’m on my way up there now.”
Shortly afterward, Bennett-Burton wrote, Lynne entered Tareen’s office “upset,” slammed the door and locked it behind him.
From a nearby conference room, Bennett-Burton and other officials heard the sound of the door slamming. “This is not the first time staff has been subjected to this behavior,” she wrote, adding that with “so many witnesses present,” city leadership could now have “a more direct conversation with the mayor.”
In a reply to Bennett-Burton, Williamson called the incident “highly disappointing” and confirmed he had spoken to Tareen.
“Unfortunately, the Mayor’s behavior has become a pattern that continuously necessitates my intervention, as well as that of the attorneys,” he wrote. “These behaviors reverberate throughout the entire City and hurt all staff.”
Williamson said he would “address this situation and reset expectations... to ensure that Jawaria can continue without distraction or fear.” He added that “we will likely need the entire Council to be part of the conversation if this pattern does not change.”
District 1 Councilmember Omar Roman also responded, writing that he supported the city’s involvement “to ensure our staff are supported and can do their jobs without fear or intimidation.”
The Branch Herald contacted the City of Farmers Branch and Lynne for comment on July 31 regarding the June 9 incident and the concerns raised in the emails. As of publication, no response has been received from either the city or the Mayor.
Lynne was elected mayor in May 2023 after serving six years on the city council and holding positions on the Planning and Zoning Commission and other city boards. His campaign was endorsed by several past city leaders who described him as a stabilizing force and emphasized his pledge to “listen first” to residents.
In his first year, Lynne championed public safety as his top priority, pledging to fully staff the city’s police department. He has supported lowering the property tax rate to provide “true and transparent” tax relief and pushed for code enforcement changes to address blight in older neighborhoods. He has also promoted high-profile community events, including the United Pickleball Association World Championship at Brookhaven Country Club, which drew thousands of spectators and national attention.
Lynne’s tenure in city politics has included public disputes. In 2017, while on the council, he filed a court petition to depose residents he suspected of sending anonymous mailers accusing him of misconduct. In 2016, the Texas Ethics Commission found credible evidence that his company had improperly loaned funds to his campaign; he returned the money and amended his filings.
During his 2023 campaign, Lynne faced questions about his association with former Mayor Tim O’Hare, who spearheaded the city’s controversial anti-immigrant rental ordinance in the mid-2000s. Lynne said the legal battle over that policy was a mistake because it cost the city millions of dollars, but he stopped short of condemning the ordinance itself.
Farmers Branch, long led by a largely white political establishment, has become a majority Latino city where nearly one-third of residents are foreign-born, according to U.S. Census data. Lynne campaigned on uniting “one community, one people” and has emphasized economic growth and neighborhood reinvestment during his first term.
The June 9 allegations, coupled with the city manager’s written statement that the behavior is part of a “pattern,” mark a rare on-the-record acknowledgment of friction inside City Hall. It is not known whether any internal review of the incident will be conducted.
Local News Matters
