In a 10-1 vote on Wednesday morning, the Austin City Council fired Spencer Cronk from his position as City Manager.
The City Council heard from 14 public speakers, who discussed Cronk’s response to Winter Storm Mara and tension over an Austin Police Association contract renewal. Cronk will leave with $463,000 in severance, or 12 months of base pay.
Spencer Cronk was hired as city manager in 2018.
Photo by Ser Amantio di Nicolao
What does the city manager do?
The City Manager is responsible for managing the city’s $5 billion budget, overseeing more than 14,000 city employees, and spearheading city initiatives.
In Austin’s case, the mayor and City Council rely on the city manger to act like their “CEO.”
So what’s next?
As of this morning, Jesús Garza will take up the position of interim city manager, while the city looks for a permanent replacement. Garza previously served as city manager from 1994-2002 during Mayor Kirk Watson’s previous term.
