SAN ANTONIO – Five staff members have left Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ office in less than five months — some of them within days.
And whatever may be behind the turnover, a political science expert says it’s not a good look.
With departures including Jones’ first chief of staff and two short-lived spokesmen, the chairman of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Department of Political Science and Geography, Professor Jon Taylor, said the rate of turnover since Jones took office in mid-June suggests instability.
“This is not trying to disparage the mayor, but it begs the question about ‘What exactly is going on?’” Taylor said.
“I can make a joke here about the Hogwarts analogy that professors for the Defense Against the Dark Arts last longer than people in the mayor’s office,” he said in a reference to the “Harry Potter” series of books and movies.
Jones was sworn into her first elected position June 18. Though she had previously run twice for Congress as a Democrat and served as undersecretary of the Air Force in the Biden administration, she came into City Hall as an outsider.
Four-and-a-half months into Jones’ term, only seven of the 11 authorized positions in her office are currently filled, according to the city’s human resources department. That number does not include two executive support roles.
Taylor doesn’t have any direct insight into what’s happening at Jones’ office, but he said the problem is perception.
“Perception is everything in politics, and we’re given the perception of instability, when in reality, it may not be instability,” Taylor said. “It just may simply be personality conflicts. And even in some cases, people have decided, change of heart, ‘You know what? I really do want to do something else rather than working in city government.’ Quite possible.”
Four of the five employees have resigned, including Jones’ first chief of staff, Jordan Abelson, who had been her campaign manager. Records show Abelson resigned in early July, just a few days before Jones’ current chief, Jenise Carroll, started work.
Rory Vance, whose LinkedIn shows he was also part of Jones’ mayoral campaign, left his role as Jones’ event services director in September after serving since mid-July.
“In consultation with my family, I have decided to seek other positions that allow me to rebalance my work and family life,” he told KSAT in a Sept. 11 statement emailed by a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office.
The only staffer to have not resigned was Gary Cooper, who was reassigned back to the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department within a week of officially starting at Jones’ office in late July. In a comment on a LinkedIn post, Cooper said he was told he was “not a good fit.”
On Friday, the mayor’s office confirmed the resignations of two more staffers.
Anna San Miguel, a special assistant, left the mayor’s office on Tuesday after working there just shy of three months, according to records and the city’s human resources department.
Carlos De Leon lasted only four days as communications director before leaving. He started Monday, and his last day was Thursday.
It wasn’t immediately clear why De Leon left so quickly. He told KSAT in a statement, “My decision to step away from the role allows me to better align with my passion and experience.”
Taylor said high turnover could create continuity issues in the mayor’s office and make it difficult for Jones to actually get done what she wants.
“It’s harder, it just simply is,” he said. “This is why you want to have … people who have experience, who have enthusiasm and share the mayor’s vision.”
With no spokesperson on staff, Jones has continued to use a contracted public relations firm, Frontwood Strategies, to field media inquiries. Philippa Martinez-Berrier, a vice president with the firm, told KSAT on Monday they could not comment on personnel matters.
Jones provided a similar answer when KSAT saw her entering City Hall late Monday afternoon.
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