The Fort Worth City Council issued a stern warning to the city manager Wednesday.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and the city council reprimanded City Manager David Cooke after he and his wife took a trip to Aspen, Colorado, over Labor Day weekend with Ed and Sasha Bass aboard their private jet.
The Basses own Sundance Square, which has been embroiled in a dispute with Downtown Fort Worth Inc.
"To speak directly, taking this trip was questionable judgment, and, when asked about the trip, City Manager Cooke exercised poor communication to the public," the statement read. "As public officials, we all are, and should be, held to a higher standard, and it is imperative we demonstrate the highest level of ethics.
"Public trust is critical for us to serve effectively and impartially, and recent events have caused that trust to come into question," the statement continued. "Public perception matters, and we must go the extra mile to reassure residents and taxpayers, removing even the appearance of a gray area."
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The city of Fort Worth has a code of ethics, which says, in part, that "No officer, employee or advisory board member shall knowingly accept or solicit, or knowingly allow his or her spouse or domestic partner to accept or solicit, any benefit from any person, group or business entity that might reasonably tend to influence the officer, employee or advisory board member in the discharge of his or her official duties."
The city council stopped short of saying that Cooke's actions violated the code of ethics.
The statement said Cooke would no longer have any involvement in city business tied to Sundance Square or the Downtown Public Improvement District.
That duty will now go to City Attorney Leann Guzman.
Cooke apologized to city employees in an email, saying he should have better realized the appearance of a conflict of interest that taking the trip created.
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