SAN ANTONIO – Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and one of her main city council opponents clashed again Wednesday — this time over the mayor’s use of an outside communications consultant.
During an afternoon budget work session, District 10 councilmember Marc Whyte asked about a KSAT Investigates story highlighting Jones’ use of Washington, D.C.-based Frontwood Strategies to, in part, handle her media communications.
The contract, which costs taxpayers $10,000 per month, was executed just over two weeks ago as a professional services agreement between Frontwood Strategies and the City of San Antonio.
In the $30,000 proposal for strategic communications support earlier that month, a representative of the public relations firm wrote that it would help the mayor get ahead of any future stories and allow for an easy transition once she identifies a communications director.
Whyte originally asked City Manager Erik Walsh about the price of the contract, but Jones jumped in.
“Let me lay it flat. You can ask me because it’s my contract,” Jones said.
Jones said it was the “same level of support, same level of funding” as what previous mayors have had, “and it’s a bridge until we can bring someone full-time on.”
As Whyte asked again about the $10,000 per month price tag, Jones responded it was “in line with what previous mayors have paid for their own comms support.”
“If you’d like to provide that, I think the (communications and engagement) folks can, or (human resources), can provide that for you.”
“You want me to ask them or you?” Whyte asked the mayor.
KSAT submitted an open records request after normal business hours for compensation and benefits records for employees in the mayor’s office since 2014, and has not yet received a response.
However, a San Antonio Express-News database of city salaries showed Bruce Davidson, the spokesman for then-Mayor Ron Nirenberg, received $150,000 in “total pay” in the 2022 fiscal year.
Employee salary records during the Jones administration, obtained by KSAT, show Chief of Staff Jenise Carroll has a $140,000 salary, as did her predecessor, Jordan Abelson.
Gary Cooper, who briefly served as a spokesman for Jones before being reassigned back to the city’s Neighborhood and Housing Services, drew a $75,000 salary, according to the same records. However, the records show Cooper’s official title was “assistant to the mayor.”
Whyte asked Walsh about the contract price, consultant’s location, source of the funds and method for hiring.
The city manager told the Northeast Side councilman the contract was paid out of the budget for the mayor’s office, and that using council office funds for professional services contracts has to be authorized by him.
“In the case of this contract,” Walsh said, “this was reviewed, vetted, approved by me, and executed.”
The city manager said other professional contracts must be approved, such as District 1 councilmember Sukh Kaur’s for “a couple of thousand dollars” to do additional community engagement regarding San Pedro Springs.
“It doesn’t happen often, but you all do not have the individual authority to do that,” Walsh said. “That’s a procurement issue, and it’s got to come through the manager’s office.”
Jones won the mayor’s seat in a June 7 run-off election and was sworn in on June 18.
Abelson, Jones’ campaign manager and first chief of staff, also handled media requests in the early days of the mayor’s administration. However, she was replaced within a month by Carroll, a former U.S. Air Force officer.
Cooper served as a mayor’s office spokesman for about a week and a half in late July. He announced in an Aug. 1 LinkedIn post he was no longer with the office “as of yesterday.”
Frontwood Strategies sent Jones its proposal for strategic communications support on Aug. 5.
A final contract was signed by Emily McGinn, the assistant to the city council, on Aug. 25 and by Frontwood Strategies Founder Nell Callahan on Aug. 26.
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