El Paso City Council extends Tommy Gonzalez's contract until 2029, despite previous Leeser veto
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The El Paso City Council voted Monday to let stand Mayor Oscar Leeser's veto last week of changes to City Manager Tommy Gonzalez's contract.
However, in a 6-2 vote Monday, council members approved another amendment to extend Gonzalez's contract to June 22, 2029.
City Reps. Alexsandra Annello and Joe Molinar voted against the item, while city Reps. Peter Svarzbein, Cassandra Hernandez, Isabel Salcido, Claudia Rodriguez, Cissy Lizarraga and Henry Rivera voted for the contract extension.
The amendment also will guarantee "that the city will pay or reimburse any reasonable necessary legal costs and expenses incurred by the city manager and discussions related to the First Amendment to the amended and restated employment agreement."
Leeser vetoed the previous changes last week; the City Council revisited the topic Monday. However, the council voted 7-1 to delete the agenda item that challenged the veto after being in a closed session meeting for nearly two hours.
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Svarzbein was the sole dissenting voice in that vote. During his time to speak, he said the mayor's vetoes have been "politically motivated and not based upon fiscal and financial prudence."
"The goal of the council with the actions that we took previously was to keep an exceptional employee here and continue investment in the future of El Paso," Svarzbein said.
Hernandez said the mayor's veto "created some confusion."
"It is very unfortunate that as a consequence of the veto, that this man in our community has been dragged through the mud, with false narratives and with just misconceptions altogether, but it is vitally important that we continue to listen to the public," said Hernandez, who placed the item on the agenda.
Six City Council members would have been required to override the mayor's veto.
Public offers opinions on Tommy Gonzalez
Almost 30 people signed up for public comment Monday.
Some members of the public called for the City Council to amend Gonzalez's contract and "commit to Gonzalez," who has been with the city for more than 10 years.
"(Gonzalez) has been a huge, huge leader during the COVID economic crisis, and we were able to partner to save a number of businesses," said Stephen Voglewede, interim CEO for the El Paso Chamber.
Other members of the public called on city representatives to honor the veto and had issues with how high Gonzalez's salary is: $404,377. In 2014, he began his career in El Paso with a salary of almost $239,000.
Angel Ulloa called on City Council members to concern themselves with more pressing matters like addressing poor streets and improving quality of life for residents.
"Why are we paying high property taxes and utility rates while nothing is being done to address the poor quality of our streets, our public recreation facilities, and the climate crisis we are seeing in El Paso," Ulloa said.
Ulloa told council members that Gonzalez's salary cap in the amended contract would have allowed him to be paid almost 10 times as much as the median income in El Paso.
On May 16, the El Paso City Council voted to extend Gonzalez's contract with the city until June 24, 2029, instill a salary cap of $450,000 a year and have the city pay the legal maximum contribution to Gonzalez's pension.
The salary cap could have been raised if the average base salaries for the three highest comparison cities outlined in the agreement raised their city managers' pay over $450,000.
The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey in 2020 recorded El Pasoans' median income at $48,866.
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Kenneth Bell, a local resident, during public comment called on city representatives to acknowledge the income inequities in the city.
"And while Gonzalez stands to make more than the president of the United States of America, the minimum wage for city employees increased by 75 cents and is almost $2 less than the minimum wage for county employees," Bell said.
Gonzalez's contract is set to expire in 2024. It was last renewed in 2018. His contract also includes a golden parachute clause that would have the city pay one year's worth of salary, car allowance and deferred compensation in one lump sum.
City of El Paso spokeswoman Laura Cruz-Acosta declined to provide a comment by Gonzalez about Monday's council actions.
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El Paso Mayor's veto of Gonzalez's contract
On May 18, Leeser vetoed an extension and amendments to Gonzalez's contract that City Council approved earlier last week in a 5-3 vote.
Leeser, in a news statement, listed three reasons for vetoing the amendments:
It being too early to consider a contract renewal because Gonzalez's contract doesn't expire until 2024.
"Extending and enhancing" any current contract when El Pasoans are facing increased living costs and property valuations is neither prudent nor warranted.
He requested but was told the city could not predict an estimate for the economic impact to the city of the proposed amendments through 2029.
Leeser, at a May 18 news conference, said an attorney from San Antonio was hired by El Paso City Attorney Karla Nieman to clarify whether he had the authority to issue a veto pertaining to the city manager's contract.
Following the council's approval last week of the contract amendments, the city of El Paso announced that Gonzalez had withdrawn his name for consideration for the same position in Frisco, Texas.
Wes Pierson was chosen as the new Frisco city manager Monday.
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Anthony Jackson may be reached at ADJackson@elpasotimes.com and @TonyAnjackson on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso City Council again extends city manager's contract until 2029
