San Elizario council meeting marked by tense exchanges ahead of closed-door discussion on allegations involving mayor
SAN ELIZARIO, Texas (KVIA) — A tense San Elizario City Council meeting Tuesday night featured heated public comment as well as personal attacks between council members and the mayor.
Council’s agenda included discussions on the city’s social media pages, a proposed code of conduct for elected officials and staff, and a discussion of what was listed as “alleged and discriminatory conduct” by a council member.
Even before those items were heard, residents used public comment to condemn what they described as ongoing dysfunction inside city government.
“You have to put San Eli back in the spotlight, and not in a good way,” resident Andrea Gutierrez said. “I need you to understand that you will not get rid of me until I know that this place I call my home is being run by people with loyalty and integrity.”
Attorney Brian Kennedy attended Tuesday’s meeting, and publicly stated that he was the attorney for Mayor Miguel Chacón. He told KVIA before the meeting, "I was retained to ensure that the mayor is treated fairly and that his constitutional rights are protected."
Kennedy, who is also a former El Paso city representative, also addressed council during public comment as a self-proclaimed “government watchdog.”
“You may not like a person. You may not like their lifestyle. You may not like their choices. You may not like the color of the shirt they wear,” Kennedy said. “One thing I learned from being an elected official is you've got to put all of that behind you and worry about what's right there, which says San Elizario, Texas.”
Council members were scheduled to discuss allegations involving Mayor Chacón, including claims that he shared privileged city information and granted a former employee access to internal systems, during executive session. The agenda item reads as follows:
“Discussion and Action to address Mayor Chacon’s alleged illegal and unethical practices related to release of City data, orders to City staff, and procurement practices. Potential actions include but are not limited to temporarily reorganizing organizational structure, issuing a formal reprimand, and/or making a report to law enforcement authorities. The City Council reserves the right to deliberate this matter in executive session pursuant to Tex. Gov’t Code Section 551.071 (Consultation with Attorney) and Section 551.074 (Personnel Matters).”
After executive session, council did not take any action on the topic.
According to El Paso Matters, council previously excluded Chacón from an executive session while members reviewed concerns about the mayor’s handling of sensitive information and his communication with a recently terminated employee.
Political blogger Jaime Abeytia also raised questions earlier this month after discovering three documents tied to a city emergency procurement, all of which, he reported, were confirmed by the companies involved to be fabricated.
