City discusses Gonzalez’s future following investigation

The El Paso City Council could make a decision on the employment of City Manager Tommy Gonzalez as the results of an ethics investigation are revealed.

The council has been in executive session since 1 p.m., hearing the results from ethics attorney Ross Fischer, who conducted the independent investigation.

Fischer has conducted interviews and reviewed documents trying to determine if Gonzalez acted appropriately when he authorized the search for a new financial adviser without a vote from city council.

Emails show Gonzalez green-lighted the search for a new firm after a July 2014 public meeting in which city Rep. Larry Romero suggested it and the rest of council did not object.

Romero resigned earlier this month.

Gonzalez has maintained he acted within his purview, saying he believed it was the wish of the entire council to look for a new adviser. He has cited concerns city representatives expressed to him about the work of First Southwest, the City’s current financial adviser.

Fischer sent Gonzalez about 60 pointed questions, asking what authority the city manager had to look for a new firm when First Southwest had two years left in their contract with the city.

The council is consulting with Fischer and evaluating Gonzalez’s questions which were released last week.

In the answers, Gonzalez wrote he would have rebuffed criticism from the council of First Southwest had he been briefed on a report about the ballpark financing. The report, ordered by Mayor Oscar Leeser in 2013 shows the city landed an unfavorable financing deal on the ballpark because former City Manager Joyce Wilson delayed the issuance of the bonds until after the May 2013 election between Leeser and ballpark supporter and former city Rep. Steve Ortega. The city lost a projected $22 million on the ballpark financing.

The search for a new financial adviser came to a stop in October of last year when City Attorney Sylvia Firth learned about it and notified city CFO Mark Sutter about the ballpark financing report.

Sutter was leading the search for the new adviser and emails show the city had chosen firm Estrada Hinojosa and had even negotiated a price. The change of contract was pending city council approval.

Romero has been scrutinized for suggesting the city look into a contract with Estrada Hinojosa soon after taking office in 2013, but not initially disclosing he had worked with the company’s owner, Noe Hinojosa, in the early 90s.