Many questions still unanswered by City Manager

New concerns over still unanswered questions dealing with City Manager Tommy Gonzalez’s performance improvement plan, which has now been replaced by something called a “Statement of Goals and Expectations.”

Shortly after a closed door executive session meeting, the City sent out a list detailing new goals and expectations for Gonzalez. But several items that were supposed to be addressed as part of a 13-point directive handed out by the City two weeks ago are still unresolved.

Four items in that 13-point directive approved by Council on Feb. 29 were not addressed. No. 2, which asked the City Manager to correct all financial disclosure filings to provide details regarding consulting work;

No. 6, fully disclose all consulting business and sources of income;

No. 7, which is providing tax returns for his consulting business and No. 8, proof of payment for tax services paid to Rep. Larry Romero by Gonzalez.

The last issue is especially important because Gonzalez and Romero, who owns a tax business, are being investigated by the ethics commission.

ABC-7 was told Mayor Oscar Leeser was not available for comment. But the City public information officer told ABC-7 that Leeser spoken to Gonzalez about those items and they will be addressed by the first week in April.

Rep. Emma Acosta told ABC-7 this about why those items have still not been addressed: “They became legal issues that (Gonzalez) wanted his attorney to address and so we agreed. Our attorney agreed those were legal so we did not include those (Tuesday).”

ABC-7 asked if they will be addressed at some point.

“They need to be addressed and I don’t know if some of those are related to the ethics complaint that’s coming up in April,” Acosta said. “And so we really don’t want to co-mingle what the ethics commission is doing with what we’re doing.”

Acosta said those items likely won’t be addressed until after the ethics complaint is resolved. She said Gonzalez answered every one of the questions on that 13-point directive, except those four they considered legal matters.

Regardless, Rep. Lily Limon, who was not at Tuesday’s meeting, told ABC-7 she is not happy about how the situation is being handled.