Austin City Council members have fired City Manager Spencer Cronk, the city’s chief executive. The vote Wednesday followed criticism of his leadership during an ice storm that left hundreds of thousands without power earlier this month.
The vote was 10-1, with Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison voting against. Council members agreed to a severance package totaling $463,000, which includes one year of the city manager's salary, plus health care and vacation payouts.
While it is unusual for a city manager to be fired, the vote didn't come as a surprise. Last week, Austin City Council members expressed in a closed-door meeting unanimous support for a new city manager. In Austin, the city manager serves as the city's chief executive, overseeing day-to-day operations.
The move to oust Cronk comes just two weeks after Austinites hunkered down as an ice storm pummeled the city, bringing down electric lines and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power for days.
At the city’s first press conference about the storm, elected officials criticized how staff had communicated to residents.
“I’ve been frustrated and disappointed in the communication that I feel should have been better with the people in the city,” Mayor Kirk Watson said.
Initially, Austin Energy told residents to expect power back within 24 hours — a timeline they later pushed back by several days and then again by more than a week.
“If … it’s going to be 100 hours or more without electricity, people will make different choices. But we have to let them know so that they can prepare for themselves and their families, and we did not do that," Council Member Chito Vela, who represents parts of North Austin, told KUT last week. "I’m very disappointed.”