San Juan city manager resigns

SAN JUAN — San Juan city commissioners accepted the resignation of City Manager Tony Garza on Tuesday night.

City officials emerged from a nearly half-hour executive session Tuesday to unanimously approve a recommendation from special attorney Gustavo Acevedo for "an agreement in principle" with Garza for him to step down from his city manager post.

"Legally, he is submitting a letter of resignation," said Acevedo.

Garza and city officials declined to give a reason for the resignation, saying it was a legal issue.

The city hired Acevedo — the PSJA school district’s attorney — to investigate "whether good cause existed for proposing the termination" of Garza, Acevedo said.

"During the course of the proceedings, I was able to meet with Mr. Garza and his attorney and we were able to reach an amicable resolution of this matter," Acevedo said. "What could have been expensive litigation was avoided."

As of Wednesday afternoon, Garza still needed to sign a copy of the agreement to make it official, Acevedo said.

Garza, the former San Juan police chief, was hired in June 2008 two weeks after Mayor Pedro Contreras beat former mayor San Juanita Sanchez in a run-off election.

Contreras and his slate of candidates were able to claim a majority on the city commission following the election and brought sweeping changes to city personnel.

Garza said he still supports Contreras and the city commissioners, but that they had "different philosophies" on which direction the city should take to reach their common goals.

"I want to stay positive. I don’t want to say there was pressure," Garza said. "Right now, the best thing for the city (and I) was mutual separation."

Garza also said no one talked to him about leaving until this week.

Contreras referred all questions to Acevedo and City Attorney Jerry Muñoz.

"It’s personal. Obviously, it’s this person’s career," Contreras said. "The situation obviously needs to be dealt with very carefully."

Following the approval of Garza’s resignation, the city commission moved to elevate San Juan Fire Chief Tirso Garza to city manager on an interim basis.

Tony Garza said he will not be returning to the San Juan police force or to work for the city in any capacity.

"Separation is separation," he said.

Garza is the second city manager ousted in the past month.

Edinburg fired its city manager, J.J. Rodriguez, earlier this month. The city council voted to execute the termination clause in Rodriguez’s contract, and one city councilman explained the decision as moving in a different direction with a "more aggressive" city manager.