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Five members of the San Antonio City Council have called for a special meeting to potentially censure Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones for an alleged code of conduct violation.
In a five-signature memo, councilmembers said that since Jones was inaugurated in June there have been “repeated instances of unprofessional conduct in dealing with councilmembers, city staff, and residents of San Antonio.”
The memo follows a code of conduct complaint filed against Jones by District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur.
The memo references the complaint, tying it to an incident that took place last Thursday. Texas Public Radio has requested a copy of the complaint.
“The signatories to this memorandum hereby request that upon the conclusion of the above-referenced investigation there be a Special Meeting scheduled within seven days pertaining to the conduct of the Mayor in which City Council may consider a censure of Mayor Jones," the statement said.
The memo was signed by council members Phyllis Viagran (D3), Teri Castillo (D4), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8) and Misty Spears (D9).
Aldarete Gavito said it was signed by all-female members of the council in solidarity with District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur. She added that the memo was also in response to escalating unprofessionalism by Jones.
“I remember going to Councilman Whyte's town hall, and she took the mic away from him and talked about the Spurs deal, even though they had literally just had an agreement that this was his budget town hall, and they were not going to talk about the Spurs arena,” she said.
Castillo said that city council was no exception to workplace expectations.
“There's expectations on how we have civil debate, interactions and disagreement, and when we learn about an instance in which any of our colleagues berates one another, we have a responsibility to have a conversation about next steps on how we correct that behavior in the workplace,” Castillo said.
Neither Alderete Gavito or Castillo saw the incident that took place last week. Texas Public Radio asked Mayor Jones for comment before the memo was released on Monday but she declined. Councilwoman Kaur also declined to comment, citing the pending investigation.
Spears and Meza Gonzalez issued statements saying all council members deserve to be treated with respect and professionalism.
“I support my colleague’s right to raise concerns, and those concerns deserve to be taken seriously and addressed through the appropriate process,” Spears said.
"When those expectations are called into question, it is our responsibility to address them through the appropriate processes and ensure accountability," said Meza Gonzalez.
Viagran was not immediately available for comment.
A censure is a formal reprimand and does not lead to automatic removal. Four council members have been censured over the last four years, including three for alleged drunk driving incidents and one for berating a fellow council member.
