James Stevens is responsible for releasing the recording that revealed District 9 Councilwoman Elisa Chan's view on homosexuality, but isn't sure what's next for him. And although Stevens hasn't got a lot sleep lately, he does still believe he did the right thing.
"I’m not seeking any notoriety. And in fact I think every interview I do is just hurting my chances at getting a job somewhere," he said. "But people do have questions and I’m happy to answer."
Stevens said he felt like the public should know what was going on behind closed doors when Chan was politicking on taxpayer time, plotting a possible future run for mayor of San Antonio or a shot at the Texas Senate.
He at least wanted Chan to review the non-discrimination ordinance proposal and analyze it.
"That’s what I expect of my representatives," he said. "I don’t expect them to go in there and say, 'Well, it’s going to pass anyway, so let’s hold a meeting on public time on how we’re going to position ourselves on the next election.'"
Tension had been mounting between Stevens and Chan leading up to the meeting that Stevens recorded. When he finally got a full time job in her office, he said, she paid him $40,000 a year to put together a photo album of her events.
She criticized his work and he was getting frustrated, so when Chan and staffers began using homophobic language in their meeting, he knew he had to record it.
Now that he's out of a job, he's not sure what's next.
"I don’t know yet, I just play it by ear, you know? Maybe I’ll just go be a beach bum if I can’t get a job. But hopefully something in media," he said.
The Army veteran doesn't see himself going back into politics. As for future employers, he said it's up to them if they want to trust him.
But, he wants them to know something.
"I'm not out to just burn people," he said. "This is a very specific incident. I've never done this before, I don't plan on making a career out of it. It's a public representative who was using city resources for political activities."
He’s been getting by with the help of his family until he can get back on his feet.
