Michael Karlis
San Antonio District 10 City Councilman Marc Whyte speaks to reporters following Sunday's special meeting.
Whyte was apologetic on the dais, saying that he'd make a mistake and even encouraging his colleagues to vote "yes" on the censure resolution. The first-term councilman argued that the resolution was more about warning San Antonians about the dangers of drunk driving than admonishing him personally.
San Antonio City Attorney Andy Segovia reminded council members that the resolution wasn't intended as a broad statement about drunk driving but a specific critique of Whyte's actions.
Although Whyte was apologetic during the specially called meeting, he sung a different tune when speaking to reporters afterward.
"I think the video speaks for itself," Whyte said, referring to body-cam footage police released last week. "I think a lot of people in the community feel as though the legal process should play out and that folks here at city hall shouldn't have jumped to any conclusions."
Mayor Ron Nirenberg told reporters that council "will likely have a conversation" if toxicology reports show Whyte was under the legal limit at the time of his arrest. However, the mayor didn't provide specifics about what such a conversation might look like.
Last week, Nirenberg temporarily stripped Whyte of all his committee assignments as a reprimand for the arrest.
Sunday's vote came even though legal experts advised council to wait for the legal process to play out. Council meeting regular Jack Finger reiterated those concerns during the public comment session. He was one of just two people scheduled to speak.
"That's all this really is at this time — an allegation about Mr. Whyte driving drunk," Finger told council. "He has yet to go to court; he has yet to be convicted of any such thing … let the facts prove it out, and until the blood tests come back, I think it's time to give everyone the benefit of the doubt."
The special meeting marked the third time in less than two years that members of City Council have voted to censure a colleague.
Former District 1 City Councilman Mario Bravo was censured on Nov. 10, 2022, for verbally berating then-councilwoman and former love interest Councilwoman Ana Sandoval during a meeting earlier that year. Four days later, Whyte's predecessor, Clayton Perry, was censured for driving while intoxicated.
Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed
