EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The City of El Paso Ethics Review Commission met on Wednesday, July 19 over an ethics complaint filed by an El Pasoan alleging the misuse of the city gas card by City Representative Cassandra Hernandez.

This meeting comes after the interim City Manager Carry Westin terminated the use of the tax-payer-funded gas cards in response to the recent internal audit of fuel card misusage.

In a statement to KTSM on Tuesday, Westin said he recommended the elimination of the cards and the initiation of a policy to provide each city council member with a vehicle allowance.

The meeting on Wednesday was over an ethics complaint filed back in May by El Pasoan George Zavala.

A lawyer representing Hernandez responded to the ethics complaint requesting the complaint be dismissed.

“The complaint entirely fails to show that Hernandez misused the fuel card that the city provided to all members of the city council. Instead, the complaint serves to highlight the lack of any clear policy regulating the use of a fuel card by an official,” read a portion of the letter from the Valenzuela Law Firm representing Hernandez.

During public comment, multiple people spoke about their concerns with the handling of the city gas card by Hernandez.

“If you don’t recommend removal then she would just go ahead and do whatever she wants to. That’s not the way things work in in our community. People trust her, trusted her. I can’t trust her anymore,” said El Pasoan Jesus Bautista during a public comment.

Zavala gave his opening statement during the ethics meeting, talking about multiple people using Hernandez’s gas card.

“One time, it’s a rumor. It happens twice, a coincidence. Three times, a pattern so, Hernandez has shown that there’s a pattern in her behavior. Is using the card not only for herself as the supporter, as identified, but for her husband, and now another person,” said Zavala.

Hernandez gave her opening statement to the ethics committee talking about a lack of communication.

“As a result of an incredibly flawed administrative review and the lack of communication with me, with my office, or any person in my staff to date; No person in the internal audit office to date, no city officials have communicated with me of any concerns of wrongdoing or any concerns of misuse or any concerns of authorized or unauthorized expenditures,” said Hernandez.

The ethics review committee meeting that began at 5:30 p.m. was still ongoing at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

As we reported, an internal audit found that in 2022 Hernandez purchased close to 35% of all the fuel purchased by the council in the calendar year.

The audit for 2023 shows that the percentage increased for January to April of 2023 was close to 40% of all the fuel purchased by the council.