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A six-member panel of the San Antonio Ethics Review Board (ERB) unanimously dismissed an ethics complaint on Monday made by a former leader of the Republican Party of Bexar County against Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.
ERB chair Patrick Lang called the complaint “frivolous” after the panel reached its decision.
The July complaint from then-vice chair of the local party Kyle Sinclair, who is now running for Congress in Texas’ 21st district, alleged Jones had used city resources for political purposes when she solicited the 2028 Democratic National Convention using city letterhead and the city seal.
The Democratic National Convention, like its Republican counterpart, is where the Democratic Party officially selects their presidential and vice presidential nominees every four years.
The convention was held in Chicago in 2024.
Jones was traveling and did not attend the ERB hearing.
Former San Antonio City Attorney Frank Garza relayed a letter Jones sent last month on her behalf at the hearing where she called the allegation “politically motivated” and said it’s the role of the mayor to attract large conventions and events to the city.
This is the timeline of events presented by the ERB’s city-appointed attorney Nadeen Abou-Hossa.
On June 6, the Democratic National Committee reached out to Jones to request that the city submit an official pitch to host the 2028 convention.
On June 24, Jones asked City Manager Erik Walsh to draft a response. Walsh then asked Visit San Antonio CEO Mario Bass to write the draft. Bass gave that draft to Walsh on June 26, who then shared it with Jones’ chief of staff on the same day.
The following day, Jones made edits to the draft letter and asked Walsh to have City Attorney Andy Segovia give it a legal review, which Segovia did on the same day. Jones asked city staff to prepare the final version of the letter on city letterhead and then signed and sent it a few days later on July 1.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin also visited San Antonio in September with Jones to scope out the city’s potential to host the 2028 convention, which Jones posted photos of on her official X account.
Segovia sent the ERB a letter on Oct. 2 confirming that he had approved the letter to the Democratic National Committee and that he did not believe it served either private or political purposes and was “consistent with the role of the mayor to bring high profile events” to San Antonio.
Garza added that Sinclair’s comments in the media suggesting he would drop the complaint if Jones made a similar pitch for the 2032 Republican National Convention further invalidated it.
The Republican National Committee picked Houston to host the 2028 Republican National Convention in 2023.
“So it's not that she wrote the letter on city stationery, it's that he disagreed as to who she wrote it to,” Garza said. “If it is a violation of the ethics code to write a letter to the Democratic National Committee, why would it not be a violation to write it to the Republican National Committee?”
And ERB liaison Maria Elena Perez said ethics complaints cannot be withdrawn under the code.
Jones’ letter called the complaint “frivolous” and asked the ERB to impose relevant sanctions against Sinclair for filing it.
Lang said in order for sanctions to be imposed against Sinclair, someone would have to file their own complaint against him.
Jones thanked the ERB in a written statement after the board's decision, but did not comment on whether she would file a complaint against Sinclair.
"I appreciate the Ethics Review Board's service and prompt handling of this matter," she said in her statement. "This was a politically motivated complaint that lacked merit. I will continue representing all San Antonians by exploring opportunities that bring business to our city and showcase our culturally rich communities."
Sinclair said he had “no reaction” to the outcome and that he was “not mad” at the ERB over the outcome.
He denied that the complaint was politically motivated.
“They did their job, what they're supposed to do,” Sinclair said. “I did my job as the Republican Party, which is fight for the Republican Party here in Bexar County, and to bring awareness and attention to what is going on.”
“She ran in a non-partisan position as a partisan candidate, and within two weeks, she goes after a highly partisan organization here in the city,” he said. “She should have done better. She should have done for both [parties]. There's no quid pro quo.”
The ERB has heard six complaints against current or former elected officials in the past year and a half, after receiving none for years.
“We don't want the Ethics Review Board to become a gotcha board,” Lang said after the decision.
