City of Austin Council Message Board

Colleagues:

This morning, I added an emergency item to Thursday’s City Council agenda to evaluate the employment of City Manager Spencer Cronk. Council Members Alison Alter, Chito Vela and Vanessa Fuentes have joined me in sponsoring the emergency item.

I added the emergency item to the agenda this morning because the management of this situation and the lack of clear, timely and accurate communication has left our community in the dark. It is unacceptable. The City of Austin can and will do better.

While we answer to the people of Austin, the City Manager answers to us.

Kirk

On behalf of Mayor Watson

Mayor,

I look forward to working with you and our colleagues to improve our lackluster communications during this crisis. We must demand answers for why Austinites were left literally and metaphorically in the dark.

Saludos,

Chito

Colleagues,

Thank you for bringing forward this important discussion. Even though it’s been less than a month since I took the oath of office, I recognize that one of Council’s most important responsibilities is ensuring the highest level of transparency and accountability in the management of our city government.

The frustrations I heard voters express towards city management on the campaign trail last year have evolved into a wholesale loss of trust in the past few days. During a crisis like this, our constituents deserve clear and forthright communications as well as decisive and visible leadership. Hundreds of thousands of Austinites received neither as they were left in the cold and dark as their food spoiled in their fridges in the past few days.

We owe it to our constituents and our neighbors to get to the bottom of these failures and to ensure they never happen again.

Sincerely
Zo