The San Antonio City Council voted to issue a censure of District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte during a special called meeting on Sunday over his DWI charge from December.
The censure vote, which passed unanimously 10-0, did not include a call to resign. The resolution is a statement and doesn't carry any action. It’s about nine lines in length and includes proclamations denouncing drinking and driving.
“Whereas, a Councilmember should not put the public at risk, and by Councilmember Whyte irresponsibly drinking and driving, he put the public at risk; and whereas, Councilmember Whyte’s actions and pending criminal case have negatively impacted his and the City Council’s ability to conduct its business,” the resolution states.
During the meeting, Whyte reiterated his remorse for driving on the night of Dec 29; after having three alcoholic beverages at three locations. He asked his council members to support the resolution so the council could move forward.
“Let there be no dispute, let there be no fight, let’s move forward and let’s pass it,” he said.
Whyte mentioned each council member by name and included projects he had been working on with each of them. Afterwards, he said a statement like the resolution deters even one person from driving while intoxicated, it’s worth it.
“If we can make a statement that nobody should get behind the wheel after they’ve had any amount of alcohol, I’m okay with that,” Whyte said. “That’s a statement that I think we should make as a city council and again if that prevents even one person or makes them think twice about driving after they’ve had anything to drink, then I think resolution like today’s serves it’s purpose.”
Having a full council meeting on a Sunday meeting is an incredibly rare occurrence; this occurred this time due to the upcoming short work week with no scheduled council meetings and out of town travel by San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
Earlier this week, Mayor Nirenberg removed Whyte from his council committee appointments including Public Safety, Audit, and Workforce and Economic Development. Committees are made up of five council members to regulate work on city issues before being voted on by the full council.
"Our charge is to work together to set a higher community standard and chart a different course,” Nirenberg said. “The action we take today will send a message that we don’t take drinking and driving lightly because beyond the single incident that led to this meeting, we have a responsibility to condemn this behavior wherever it may arise."
The meeting opened with two public speakers including Gregory Quiroz, who works in the emergency room at a local hospital. He urged council members, and others to think before they drink and consider the consequences it causes.
“The injuries sustained in most drunk driving cases are often on the unsuspecting parties. I’ve seen children, students, and everyday people just trying to get to school or get home from work killed due to the negligent behavior of impaired drivers,” he said.
Whyte was pulled over by an SAPD officer in body cam footage released on Thursday. He was not involved in a crash. According to public records, the councilman is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday, Jan. 30th.
