Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk fired over botched winter storm response

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s each day e-newsletter that retains readers in control on essentially the most important Texas news.

Two weeks after Austin officers as soon as once more got here underneath hearth for his or her flawed response to a serious winter storm, City Council members fired the town’s prime official — who they blamed for persistent issues dealing with main disasters.

The City Council ousted City Manager Spencer Cronk, who oversees the town’s day-to-day operations, by a 10-1 vote Wednesday — with newly elected Mayor Kirk Watson among the many votes to eliminate Cronk. An interim supervisor will take over his obligations Thursday.

Cronk, who headed the town since 2018, fell out of favor with council members after a winter freeze earlier this month knocked out electrical energy for tens of 1000’s of households and companies, who grew annoyed ready for the town to inform them when the lights and warmth would come again on.

The preliminary lack of communication with residents was additionally a key failing identified in an audit of the city’s response to the deadly 2021 winter storm. Some council members have been livid that the town suffered the very same downside two years later.

Exacerbating tensions between Cronk and the town council was a flareup final week over the town’s contract with the Austin Police Association, the union that represents the town’s cops.

City and union negotiators have been hammering out a brand new multi-year contract, and council members deliberate to vote final Thursday on a measure to increase the union’s current contract for one yr. Council members didn’t need to enact a brand new police contract earlier than voters had an opportunity to weigh in on a May poll proposition supposed to beef up civilian oversight of Austin’s police pressure.

But the evening earlier than the vote, Cronk threw council members off steadiness by asserting that the town and union had struck a tentative settlement on a brand new four-year contract.

At a tense and complicated assembly, Cronk put up stiff resistance to beginning up recent negotiations when each events had already tentatively agreed to a longer-term deal. In a surprising scene, council member José “Chito” Vela accused Cronk of undermining the council and known as for a brand new metropolis supervisor.

Cronk initially struck a contrite tone over the winter storm, apologizing final week for the town’s delays speaking with the general public and vowing that the town would make enhancements. But after Watson and three council members introduced Saturday that they plan to contemplate his termination, Cronk defended his choices.

“The safety of our residents, businesses, employees, and visitors has — for me — always been paramount,” Cronk stated in a press release Saturday, touting the tentative settlement with the police union. “My obligation, one of many as the City Manager, is to ensure the safety of all of our residents.”

One of the town’s top-paid officers, Cronk will get a severance cost — about $463,000 — equal to his wage and different advantages.

The council appointed Jesús Garza — who served as Austin metropolis supervisor from 1994 to 2002 throughout Watson’s earlier tenure as mayor — to work as interim metropolis supervisor whereas the town hunts for a everlasting substitute. Garza’s first day is Thursday.

This is a creating story; examine again for particulars.