Lack of quorum prevents hearing on Garza complaint

The Ethics Review Commission, which was scheduled to consider a complaint against former interim City Manager Jesús Garza, adjourned without action Wednesday night. Although five members of the commission were present and ready to hear the complaint regarding alleged violations of the city’s standards of conduct rules, the commission’s rules require six members to convene and take action. The complaint was filed by Brian Molloy, chief of investigations at the Office of the City Auditor, following an Austin Chronicle article outlining what the writer alleged was a violation of city regulations related to how much money a manager can authorize spending without City Council approval. Garza hired two former city employees – Laura Huffman and Joe Canales – to deal with city crises, which he said were unprecedented. Garza has denied any wrongdoing, telling the Austin Monitor, “In early 2023, the City of Austin faced an emergency – with multiple unprecedented crises and challenges highlighted in 2021 and 2022 City Auditor reports, including the aftermath of recent winter storms, issues with our 911 call center and the need to restore public confidence in city departments. It was essential to have the right expertise, so in the essence of time, I brought two highly skilled former City of Austin employees to address and solve these issues effectively.”

In addition, Garza said, “I believe this report and the allegations unfortunately overlook the urgency of the situation, and the valuable work done by these dedicated professionals.” Molloy said Thursday that he hopes the complaint will be heard at the next Ethics Review Commission meeting, which is slated for March 26.