District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur’s town hall meeting on the city budget descended into chaos Tuesday after she barred residents gathered at the San Antonio Central Library from asking unauthorized questions.
Constituents questioned Kaur’s professionalism, accusing her of using techniques more suited to disciplining unruly elementary schoolers to regain control of the room. They also accused her of publicly identifying a resident who once filed an ethics complaint against her.
“It was totally unprofessional,” activist and District 1 resident Kathy Vale told the Current after the meeting. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
In a statement to the Current, Kaur acknowledged the room “became loud at one point,” but defended her approach. She also said she’s used the same town hall format for the past three years.
“I shared my my cell phone number last night, and if anyone believes they did not receive a complete answer, I will follow up with them personally,” Kaur said.
Tuesday’s turmoil marks the second time in as many weeks that a City Council member has faced hecklers during a town hall as residents become increasingly unnerved about elected officials’ handling of the city’s looming $158 million budget deficit. During a Tuesday, Aug. 18 meeting, residents jeered District 3’s Phyllis Viagran after she declined to answer off-the-cuff questions.
During Kaur’s town hall, constituents were required to write their questions about the city’s budget deficit on note cards. The councilwoman only accepted certain questions, prompting anger from attendees.
“The definition of a town hall is for there to be interaction between us,” constituent Susana Lopez Krulevitch told Kaur after the councilwoman declined to answer a follow-up question.
Others expressed their anger by booing and heckling Kaur.
Kaur, a former Houston middle school teacher, appeared to resort to an old educator’s tool in a bid to regain control of the room.
“If you can hear me, clap once,” Kaur said. “If you can hear me, clap twice. If you can hear me, clap three times.”
“We’re not children,” one constituent yelled out.
“I understand that,” Kaur replied. “I am an educator, and to get order in a room, this is what we do.”
The response met with grumbles of disapproval from some in the crowd.
The room got heated again after a resident asked the councilwoman how much the ethics complaint she filed against Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and the subsequent censure vote against the mayor cost the city in legal fees.
Kaur said she didn’t know but would find out that information. She then inexplicably redirected the dialogue toward constituent Kelly Walls.
“I know Kelly actually submitted a complaint to the Texas Ethics Commission because I failed to submit my financial report that we have to submit every year to the city clerk’s office,” Kaur said. “I submitted it too late on the day it was posted, so it didn’t get posted until the day after.”
“Kelly Walls filed the complaint,” Kaur continued, pointing at her constituent.
In a lengthy Facebook post about Kaur’s town hall, Krulevitch said she was “aghast” at the councilwoman’s behavior.
“It was condescending, disrespectful, and deeply unprofessional,” Krulevitch wrote. “If an elected official cannot hear respectful follow-up questions without scolding the public, then perhaps the elected official needs leadership training.”
Last week, District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran faced similar upheaval from constituents after she too refused to answer certain budget questions during a town hall. Rather than have an open Q&A, she opted to answer pre-approved questions written on index cards.
However, not all recent City Council town halls have gone off the rails. During a Monday meeting with constituents, District 5’s Teri Castillo spent hours answering questions from her constituents without her staff vetting them first.
San Antonio City Council is set to vote on a finalized budget on Sept. 17.
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