Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks to reporters during a recent press conference. Credit: Michael Karlis

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has a new spokesperson — again.

The latest to take on the high-turnover job is Washington, D.C., insider Andrew Fuentes. He replaces Austin-based Phillipa Martinez-Berrier, who worked in challenging position for roughly five months under a contract between Jones’ office and D.C.-based Frontwood Strategies.

The deal with Frontwood Strategies was in place while Jones found a permanent communications director. The contract for Martinez-Berrier’s services cost taxpayers $10,000 a month — a price that drew the ire of District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte, one of two conservatives on the dais.

Fuentes, a San Antonio-native and self-described Army brat, previously spent eight years working on the Hill for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. He’s the fourth communications director for Jones, the Biden White House’s Under Secretary of the Air Force, since she took office last June.

The first person on the job, Gary Cooper, was “reassigned” to a different city office after less than a week. His successor, Carlos de Leon, left after less than 72 hours in the position.

Fuentes has his work cut out for him.

Jones is currently under investigation for an alleged Code of Conduct violation over accusations she verbally attacked District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur earlier this month over a disagreement about code violations at downtown nightspot the Bonham Exchange.

“My style of leadership is grounded in my lived experience, and that approach does not always align with the traditional templates of female leaders or my colleagues’ views,” Jones said in a statement following the purported blowup.

Depending on the results of the investigation, Council may call for a vote to censure Jones, a way City Council can send a signal of disapproval to one of its members without attempting to strip their powers.

“Lord, grant him strength,” one City Hall staffer said of Fuentes’ hiring. The staffer asked not be named over fear of political blowback.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...