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District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur, center, accuses Mayor Jones of gaslighting during a Friday press conference at City Hall. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\nDistrict 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur, center, accuses Mayor Jones of gaslighting during a Friday press conference at City Hall. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\n
During a historic vote Friday to censure Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, members of City Council painted a picture of the city\u2019s top elected official as a vindictive and foul-mouthed bully who\u2019s placed a paranoid pall over City Hall. <\/p>\n
Council voted 8-1 during a nearly three-hour special meeting to censure Jones for what they described as a profanity-filled tantrum the mayor aimed at District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur earlier this month. The vote marks the first time in modern San Antonio history that council has voted to censure a mayor.<\/p>\n
Censure is largely symbolic move members of council can invoke to signal displeasure with a colleague\u2019s actions while not attempting to remove them from office.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy belief is if there\u2019s no remediation piece here, retaliation will likely continue to occur,\u201d District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo said to explain her vote to censure Jones, . \u201cAnd, it\u2019s best that we all arm ourselves and take this step to prevent this kind of behavior from continuing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones didn\u2019t respond to the Current\u2019s request for comment on the vote or the comments by her colleagues. <\/p>\n
District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears was the lone vote against censure, citing concerns about the investigatory process and worries that Jones wasn\u2019t given the chance to defend her actions to a third-party attorney contracted by the city to investigate the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter examining the findings, it is clear the conduct was unprofessional, and I had genuine compassion for how my colleague felt in that moment,\u201d Spears said. \u201cHowever, the level of unprofessionalism found does not rise to the level of censure or removal from the Governance Committee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spears was very much alone in that assessment, however. <\/p>\n
Indeed, some most damning comments during the meeting came from Castillo, a progressive who politically should be among Jones\u2019 close allies.<\/p>\n
Instead, Castillo \u2014\u00a0who endorsed Jones during her mayoral campaign \u2014\u00a0accused the mayor of ginning up paranoia and prioritizing payback over effectively running the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been disheartened and disturbed with her behavior overt he last nine months,\u201d Castillo said. \u201cIn retrospect, knowing what I know now, I would not have endorsed Jones. I\u2019ve heard stories and witnessed interactions with Mayor Jones and my colleagues, community members and city staff that demonstrate a pattern of unprofessional interactions filled with disrespect, inappropriate tone and retaliation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Castillo went on to accuse Jones of fostering an environment of retaliation City Hall, which the councilwoman said includes shutting colleagues out of committee assignments, events and meetings. The mayor also engaged in micromanagement, controlling behavior, verbal and physical abuse and \u201cspreading false rumors\u201d to isolate people, Castillo further alleged. <\/p>\n
Castillo had found herself in Jones\u2019 crosshairs previously when the mayor opted not to give her a committee to chair even though she\u2019s among council\u2019s most senior members. That exclusionary move came after Castillo fought against Jones\u2019s controversial proposal to change how Council Consideration Requests (CCRs) are introduced, according to the councilwoman.<\/p>\n
Trying for a reset<\/p>\n
Prior to the meeting\u2019s start, Jones gave a brief opening statement. She maintained that the dispute she had with Kaur was about public safety at downtown LGBTQ+ nightspot the Bonham Exchange, which skirted the city fire code for nearly three years by not installing an upgraded sprinkler system.<\/p>\n
Kaur wanted to give the Bonham Exchange an unspecified extension. However, Jones and the City Attorney\u2019s Office avoided debate on the extension and cut a deal with Bonham Exchange owner Joan Duckworth, which kept the club open but at a reduced capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI became passionate that morning, because I firmly believe public safety is our No. 1 responsibility,\u201d Jones told council. \u201cI should not have raised my voice at my colleague, and I should not have used profanity. I apologize for doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones left council chambers as the meeting got underway. Kaur did not attend at all.<\/p>\n
On at least two separate occasions this week, Jones described her argument by saying she raised her voice at the councilwoman, \u201cdropped an F-bomb\u201d and possibly pointed a finger at her.\u200b<\/p>\n
During a City Hall press conference on Tuesday, Jones also publicly apologized to Kaur for \u201churting her feelings\u201d \u2014 an apology Castillo described as insincere and insulting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be clear, this is not about \u2018hurt feelings,\u2019\u201d Castillo said. \u201cAnd, the gravity of this instance and censure seems to be lost on Mayor Jones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several council members, including District 6\u2019s Ric Galvan, also disputed Jones\u2019 version of events.<\/p>\n
Kaur speaks<\/p>\n
Council called a press conference after the meeting, which was attended by Kaur and every other member of the dais except Jones and Spears. During the gathering, Kaur accused the mayor of gaslighting the public and media about what really occurred during their exchange.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mayor has tried to diminish this instance by saying there was a single F-bomb that was thrown,\u201d Kaur said. \u201cIt is very different to use the curse word as an adjective versus to use it continuously to berate someone and intimidate them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kaur said the dispute wasn\u2019t about public safety or a legitimate policy disagreement. The censure vote was prompted by Jones\u2019 repeated disrespect toward others on council, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was not about wasting time or hurt feelings, and insinuating as such is a form of gaslighting,\u201d Kaur said.<\/p>\n
Due to attorney-client privilege, the full details about what actually happened between Kaur and Jones likely will never come to light, District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez told reporters. He said that\u2019s necessary to protect witnesses\u2019 identities.<\/p>\n
Off the committee<\/p>\n
As part of the punishment for violating the portions of council\u2019s code of conduct dealing with workplace violence \u2014\u00a0an alleged breach called out by third-party investigator \u2014\u00a0Jones is suspended from the Governance Committee for three months.<\/p>\n
The Governance Committee is a critical piece of City Hall bureaucracy responsible for referring proposed policies to council and staff.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued before the start of Friday\u2019s meeting, Jones said would voluntarily step down from the committee. She also said she will start in-person leadership training next week \u2014\u00a0another remedy suggested by the investigator. <\/p>\n
Jones\u2019 statement significantly backpedals <\/a>from a position staked out at her earlier press conference. At that time, the mayor said she wouldn\u2019t leave the committee and would only take leadership training if the remainder of council also committed to it.<\/p>\n However, in her written statement, the mayor said she changed her mind \u201cin the interest of moving forward and focusing on the people\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs a servant leader, I learned a long time ago that no one is above additional training \u2014 we can all learn more, and we can all be better,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWhen the date and time of that training is finalized, I will share those, and I invite each of you to join me.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Jones and council have expressed an optimistic desire for a \u201creset.\u201d However, after the dirty laundry aired at Friday\u2019s meeting, it\u2019s unclear just how likely that is. <\/p>\n Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tExcept for members of council and witnesses inside the room, nobody knows precisely what the mayor said to elicit council\u2019s possible rebuke.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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