Five council members submitted the memo on Monday, referencing a recent incident involving Jones and Councilwoman Sukh Kaur.
SAN ANTONIO — Five members of San Antonio City Council – amounting to nearly half the 11-member governing body – are calling for a censure vote against Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, pointing to “repeated instances of unprofessional conduct” stretching back to last summer.
The most recent, according to a memo submitted to the city clerk’s office: A Feb. 5 incident involving District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur. The document doesn’t go into detail about what happened, but the council members said in the memo that “it’s our understanding that, based upon that incident, there has been a formal code of conduct complaint that has been made by Councilwoman Dr. Kaur.”
It’s expected that complaint will be investigated over the next two weeks. Council members Phyllis Viagran, Teri Castillo, Marina Alderete Gavito, Ivalis Meza Gonzalez and Misty Spears sent the memo to City Manager Erik Walsh and City Attorney Andy Segovia, requesting a special meeting to potentially censure Jones within seven days of the investigation’s end.
“City attorneys have advised us that we are unable to comment until the investigation is complete,” Kaur said in a statement.
A censure is a symbolic reprimand. While no San Antonio mayor has been subjected to a censure vote in at least the last few years, some council members have been censured in that time, largely in connection with DWI investigations, but also council chamber outbursts.
“We all experience difficult days, but when a leader repeatedly fails to meet these standards, it is our duty to hold them accountable in order to preserve the integrity and trust of San Antonio’s government and the people we serve,” the newly submitted memo states.
Jones’s first eight months as mayor have been frequently contentious, largely when it comes to votes on high-profile items. Last summer also saw Jones sparring with members of council over her proposed changes to the policy proposal process—changes that largely didn’t end up going through.
This is a developing story.