AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- With just hours to go in his final term in office as mayor of Austin, Steve Adler has been hit with a pair of ethics complaints.
The complaints, filed by attorney Bill Aleshire on behalf of current district 6 council member Mackenzie Kelly and district 9 council candidate Linda Guerrero, allege that Adler used city staff, equipment, and resources to endorse candidates in the Dec. 13 runoff election. A violation is punishable as a class A misdemeanor, according to state law.
In the Dec. 1 press conference outside Austin City Hall, which was broadcast on the city's ATXN television channel and streamed on its website, Adler gave endorsements for Zo Qadri, who defeated Guerrero in the District 9 race, as well as District 3 council member-elect Jose Velasquez.
"There can be no doubt that Mayor Adler intended this press conference to influence the outcome of the election," the complaints state. "Using City resources to do so was criminal behavior."
Aleshire also alleges that Adler's press conference was conducted within the prohibited space surrounding a polling place. Such a violation would be a class A misdemeanor under the state's election code, which prohibits electioneering of any kind within 100 feet of a polling place. The code also prohibits political speeches and electioneering within 1,000 feet of a polling place when using an amplification device. That violation would be a Class C misdemeanor.
Adler is serving his final term as Austin mayor. His replacement, mayor-elect Kirk Watson, is set to be sworn into office Friday night at 6 p.m. at Austin City Hall.
