Austin City Council Votes to Change City Leadership

Today, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, the Austin City Council voted 10-1 in a special called session to remove Spencer Cronk from the position of Austin City Manager effective Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023 and named Jesús Garza as Interim City Manager.
 
“I serve at the pleasure of the Mayor and Council and acknowledge their decision.  In our Council-Manager form of government, the elected officials ultimately decide whether I am the right choice for them to lead our organization,” said Cronk. “I stand proud of our organizational accomplishments under my tenure.  I thank the Austin community for the opportunity to lead this great city, and I thank our City employees for their consistent commitment to providing the very best public service.”
 
Mayor Kirk Watson thanked the City Manager for his service and wished him well in his next endeavor. “Running a big, dynamic city such as Austin is an enormous job, and Spencer has been a committed public servant throughout his time as City Manager,” Mayor Watson said.
 
The City Council appointed Jesús Garza to serve as the Interim City Manager. Garza previously led Austin as City Manager from 1994 to 2002. He was named Public Administrator of the Year by the American Society for Public Administration/Centex Chapter, Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine and received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.