City council votes to override mayor's 2nd veto; extends city manager's contract

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The El Paso city council voted Monday to override the mayor's second veto and therefore extend city manager Tommy Gonzalez's contract for five years until 2029.

The City council voted 6-2 to override El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser's veto.

Jhovani Carrillo reports on mayor's veto overturn and city manager's contract extended

According to council member Cassandra Hernandez, the action does not inflate or boost the salary unless the increase is earned through an evaluation.

“I am humbled by the council’s confidence in the leadership team we have developed within our organization. I remain committed to the City of El Paso, our organization, and our workforce. We have much more to do and we have the team to execute the priorities for our community,” Gonzalez said.

Breakdown of votes:

• Peter Svarzbein- yes
• Alexsandra Annello- no
• Cassandra Hernandez- yes
• Joe Molinar- no
• Isabel Salcido- yes
• Claudia Lizette Rodriguez- yes
• Henry Rivera- yes
• Cissy Lizarraga- yes

Mayor Leeser provided the following statement following the overturn of his veto:

Taking a veto action is not something I take lightly. I did so thoughtfully and taking all issues into account. I did not – and still do not – believe that it is sound government or sound management to extend any employee contract prematurely and unnecessarily. The feedback I received from the community overwhelmingly supported my veto. That said, the vote has been taken and it is time to continue to move El Paso forward.

Before the overturn vote, there was a heated debate between city council member Peter Svarzbein and mayor Leeser.

“This is absolutely politically motivated, these vetoes by the mayor, are here to help candidates that align with the mayor to turn out incumbents," said Svarzbein.

"You need to be professional," said Leeser.

"I thought we’re in a democracy," responded Svarzbein.

"And that’s why I have the floor, and you need to be quiet while I have the floor do you understand. Now I remember why mayor Margo does not like you, why mayor Margo disrespected you because you seem to want to interrupt me and you seem to have a problem with the prior mayor, a problem with me now and it’s got nothing to do with me," said Leeser.

Gonzalez earns over $400,000 a year.

After the meeting, KFOX14 tried to speak to Gonzalez for an interview but a city official said he did not have time to speak and was denied an interview.

Salina tries to speak to Tommy and was denied an interview

City representative Claudia Rodriguez provided the following statement:

“The City Manager is our executive employee, and per the City Charter, he serves at the discretion of the City Council. As a Council, it has been historically and mutually agreed upon by the Council, including the Mayor, that the City Manager has performed at very impressive levels. I see value for my community in having an executive employee of this caliber.

“I previously voted against the contract because I felt that the cap should have been at a lesser one than the one agreed upon. Nevertheless, last week’s decision to delete the Council’s override was made due to the severity and hostile threats made toward City Council Representatives’ if the capped amendment was kept and the mayor’s veto was overridden.

“Therefore, taking into consideration the world we live in, with the senseless violence occurring in our communities, state, and nation, the decision was made to delete the override and revert to the original contract that was originally drafted in 2014 by Mayor Oscar Lesser that included no pay cap, no term limits, and a 5 percent annual pay increase to reflect the City Manager’s performance. It must also be noted that, unlike the mayor, City Council Representatives do not have individual El Paso Police dignitary protection.

“I respect and agree with the decision of the Council to want to extend the City Manager’s contract and I also want to remind everyone that there is nothing illegal, abnormal, or wrong in this decision or in the timing of it all.

“I also fully understand El Pasoan’s frustration with the city manager’s salary and for that reason, it is of utmost importance and a priority to me that we bring back the conversation of the cap in a healthy, sound, and mature manner. Furthermore, it is worth noting that Mr. Gonzalez isn’t the highest-paid professional in our community. At the County, the University Medical Center’s CEO gets an annual salary of $553,500 plus a bonus that put him at nearly $660,000, that’s $255,000 more than our City Manager.

“It should also be noted that in 2021 the Mayor, who is the only City Council member that sits on the Public Service Board, abstained but did not question or express any concern when the 7-member board approved a water rate increase for the sixth year in a row and a 9 percent salary increase for the second year in a row for the Water Utilities CEO who makes $346,000, about $150,000 above the market.

“Lastly, seeing the passion and interest from the community that has erupted around the City Council and the City Manager, I’d like to invite the community to share their productive feedback via email at District#6@elpasotexas.gov. Please stay tuned for future community meetings for District 6.

Mayor Leeser cannot veto a third time.

According to city officials, Gonzalez has made the city achieve $227 million in cost savings. City officials also said Gonzalez had eliminated a $7.8 million General Fund deficit in 2014; eliminated a $27 million operating deficit in the mass transit department; eliminated an annual $1 million operating deficit at the City golf course; tripled the fund balance by increasing it by more than $73 million; captured State sales taxes for downtown hotels revitalization; and leading the City of El Paso team to achieve zero audit findings for six consecutive years.

Gonzalez retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after serving 22 years in the U.S. Army. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of Texas in Austin.