The City's ethics review board will consider a complaint Thursday that accuses Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales of using her official Facebook page to promote Hillary Clinton and a candidate in a local judicial race.
On June 3, Will McCleod filed the sworn complaint against Gonzales with the City Clerk's office. "Shirley Gonzalez [sic] engaged in partisan political activity, including endorsements of candidates running for elective office using both her personal facebook account, and the Government D5 city council facebook page," McLeod's complaint states. "The personal facebook account is not in question, but what is in question is her usage of a D5 city council facebook page complete with the City of San Antonio insignia to endorse a candidate in a partisan race."
On May 28, Gonzales invited constituents who follow her on Facebook to join her for a Clinton nomination watch party. On April 16, she posted several photos from the Fiesta de los Niños event that showed Angelica I. Jimenez at her side. Jimenez was campaigning for judge of the 408th District Court during the event. The city's ethics handbook prohibits the use of "city facilities, personnel, equipment, supplies or time while on city duty for private purposes, including political activity."
According to McLeod's complaint, Gonzales' chief of staff told him the social media account is not a government website. "Her chief of staff refuses to remove partisan political activity from the D5 City Council Member City of San Antonio's facebook page, a misuse of equipment, time, and supplies," the complaint states. "A facebook page for D5 is exactly like walking into a District 5 field office. I consider it a city facility."
(Gonzales did not respond to our request for comment. We'll update if and when she does.)
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