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Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is calling for changes to the internal investigation process after she claims a chief of staff leaked information about her security detail, which the employee denies.
Jones made the claim earlier this week in a memo to the City Council Aides Corporation Personnel Subcommittee. The body was created in 2021 to govern employees hired by the mayor and 10 City Council district offices.
That memo reportedly states the chief of staff for District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito had access to security detail information for her home and has failed to comply with a San Antonio Police Department internal affairs probe of the leak.
Alderete Gavito said in a statement that “this latest action by the Mayor crosses a dangerous line” and defended her employee..
“I chose this profession knowing it comes with public scrutiny and tough criticism. My staff, however, did not,” she said. “They should never be subjected to baseless personal attacks. Accusing a dedicated public servant of wrongdoing without a shred of supporting evidence, especially after an investigation produced none, is unacceptable.”
“The Mayor should immediately retract these unfounded accusations and allow us to focus on the real challenges facing our city, rather than manufacturing conflicts that serve no public purpose,” she said.