San Antonio City Council approves code of conduct, but not without debate

San Antonio City Council voted 8-2 Thursday to approve a new code of conduct for its members after a series of embarrassing incidents involving members of the deliberative body.

The code’s approval follows council taking three separate censure votes against members over the past 14 months, including last month’s against District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte, who faced the reprimand over his recent DWI arrest.

The four-page code includes straightforward elements such as a stipulation that council members follow behavioral rules already in place for other city employees and another that calls for disclosing romantic relationships with staff members.

However, some on council warned that more vaguely worded stipulations about personal interactions could open the door for punishing those who hold unpopular views.

District 5’s Teri Castillo and District 2’s Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, council’s most progressive members, voted against adopting the code. District 8’s Manny Pelaez, a potential mayoral candidate, wasn’t at the meeting.

“When we look at cities and local governments, whether it’s at the federal level or state representatives and even school boards, we’ve seen how censure has been used to challenge those who challenge the status quo,” Castillo said, adding that women and people of color are often at the receiving end of such punishment.

In her comments, Castillo cited U.S. House Republicans booting U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, from the Foreign Affairs Committee over her comments on Israel. The councilwoman also pointed to the Texas Republican Party’s censure of U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, for his views on gun control and gay marriage.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg said he was puzzled by members’ handwringing over the new code. Rather than creating new rules for council, he said the vote is intended to create a “public-facing document” that helps constituents understand how members are allowed to behave.

Despite council’s ultimate approval of the code, the meeting suggested the document might not solve all the quandaries generated by recent incidents such as Whyte’s arrest.

District 9’s John Courage asked City Attorney Andy Segovia whether the code would cover crimes such as DWIs, which aren’t explicitly mentioned in the document, and Segovia said it wouldn’t. Even so, the attorney said council still would be able to censure members as they have in the past.

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Related Stories

After censure votes, San Antonio City Council to debate code of conduct

In less than two years, individual council members have been accused of drunk driving, fleeing the scene of an accident and berating a colleague.

San Antonio City Council censures Marc Whyte following DWI arrest

The meeting marked the third time in less than two years that members of City Council have voted to censure a colleague.

San Antonio City Council to hold special meeting Monday to call for Clayton Perry’s resignation

The emergency meeting will be city council’s second vote of no confidence in less than a week.

San Antonio councilman Marc Whyte was intoxicated at time of DWI arrest, DPS says

Whyte had a BAC of .089, slightly above the legal limit of 0.08.

Salaries could double for San Antonio council members — if voters approve

Council members would see their pay rise to $125,000, while the mayor could take home $140,000 under a recommendation from the Charter Review Commission.

This article appears in Jan 24 – Feb 6, 2024.