San Antonio – Less than week after nearly half the San Antonio City Council called for a meeting to discuss the “fitness” of the city attorney, they got a chance to air their grievances behind closed doors.
City council members went straight from opening the Wednesday afternoon meeting into a more than two-hour non-public “executive session.” City Attorney Andy Segovia, the focus of their discussion, would typically be on hand at council meetings to offer legal advice.
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However, a city spokesman said Segovia skipped this meeting because he did not want his presence to impact what council members shared.
It’s unclear exactly what was said, as discussions during executive session are meant to be confidential. Members appeared to go in and out of the conference room where it was held, though, and the drama spilled out afterward in a pair of impromptu news conferences.
First, the same five council members who had demanded the meeting appeared briefly in front of City Hall. It was the same spot where they had first aired their issues with Segovia on May 9.
Flanked by Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), Teri Castillo (D5), and Marc Whyte (D10), Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6) spoke for the group.
“All right. So thank you guys for talking with us. This is the beginning of a process. We had a great discussion with the city manager about accountability and transparency. But there’s something I want to make very clear. These people behind me – our bloc of five – our goal has been, and is now, and always has been to make sure that this government is working for the people of San Antonio. Our goal will continue. We’re looking for transparency. We’re looking for accountability. And we’re going to continue this process with the city – the city manager and his office.”
Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6)
McKee-Rodriguez confirmed the group had gotten the discussion they were looking for, but they took no further questions before silently heading back inside.
However, they joined most of the other council members, along with Mayor Ron Nirenberg and City Manager Erik Walsh, in a second news conference.
Walsh, who is the only one with the power to fire Segovia, said he had “complete confidence” in Segovia and the City Attorney’s Office. However, he said he would have a conversation with Segovia.
“Well, it’s a conversation about some of the concerns or issues that were raised. I’m not seeing that as discipline. But I do think that there’s some follow-up things that happen in order to address some of the issues that we’re seeing,” Walsh said.
HOW WE GOT HERE
The “bloc of five’s” May 9 announcement came the day after they say Segovia blocked their request for an executive session discussion on the stalled fire contract talks.
The group said they were fine with discussing the negotiations in public but had been previously told by Segovia that any such talks would have to be held in executive session.
The council members said it was just the latest issue in council members uneasy relationship with Segovia, who has held the top legal job at the city since 2016.
“What prompted this memo is a consensus amongst many of us that there is a lack of trust in the city attorney to provide us guidance and feedback that is not tainted, and that we are being given inaccurate, untimely or otherwise incomplete information,” McKee-Rodriguez said.
Following the group’s announcement, Segovia fired off a statement that all but accused council members of leaking information on the fire contract from executive sessions.
As City Attorney, I have an ethical duty to maintain the confidentiality of our executive sessions. Based on information that was relayed to me, I have no confidence that what is said there with respect to the collective bargaining agreement – the City’s second largest contract – will remain confidential.
Andy Segovia, San Antonio City Attorney
Segovia did not specify whom he suspected of leaking information or what evidence he had.
KSAT has twice requested an interview with Segovia to discuss his statement, but city staff have not yet made him available.
Walsh also refused to answer questions Wednesday about the supposed leaks.
KSAT heard from four members of the “bloc of five” earlier this week, all of whom denied leaking information.
The subject of the supposed leaks, though, is the high-profile contract negotiations with the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association.
The city and SAPFFA’s negotiating teams are still miles apart after eight bargaining sessions, and the unresolved contract is an enormous question mark over the upcoming budget talks. According to city staff’s calculations, the city faces a budget deficit of somewhere between $5 million and $50 million, depending on where a deal shakes out.
The contract will be the subject of a briefing at the Thursday morning council meeting.
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