SAN ANTONIO- Several San Antonio City Council members are reacting to a state investigation launched by Attorney General Ken Paxton.
- City Council voted to ban Chick-Fil-A from a list of approved contractors
- Paxton said council members potentially infringed on religious liberties
- Some City Council members are regretting their vote
Paxton's investigation stems from the council's vote to ban Chick-Fil-A from a list of approved contractors for the San Antonio International Airport.
In a letter addressed to Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Paxton said council members potentially infringed on religious liberties during their March 21 meeting.
It was during that meeting members voted 6-4, effectively excluding Chick-Fil-A from a concessions company's contract of vendors to be inside the airport due to its ties to anti-LGBTQ charities. In addition to the AG's case, Paxton requested the Department of Transportation do its own investigation to see if Chick-Fil-A's removal from the contract violates federal law.
Council member Clayton Perry voted against removing the popular chain from the contract. He said his other colleagues choices to remove the eatery was a bad business decision.
"When you have companies putting together these large proposals, and it takes a lot of money to put these proposals together, and then you get notified you're the winning contractor and then you're there to get awarded the contract and then somebody says, 'Oh, but we don't like this piece of the contract we are going to pull that out,' and then you have to go back and get somebody else to fill that hole. It's just the wrong signal," Perry said.
The mayor is standing by his decision saying it was purely business since Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays.
In regards to Paxton's investigation, Nirenberg said:
“The City’s Attorney’s Office is reviewing the letter. I am withholding comment until we have had adequate time to analyze it.”
Councilman Roberto Trevino is also standing by the amendment, which he filed. In a statement, he said:
“I’m confident that we have followed all our rights and laws as given to us as a City Council, and we did everything by the book."
However, Perry welcomes the AG's investigation.
"Hopefully it will shed some sunlight onto this," he said.
After originally voting to remove Chick-Fil-A, council member Manny Pelaez is now regretting his decision. In a letter posted to this Facebook page, he said he based his vote on out-of-date and inaccurate information. However, he did mention he still stands by his beliefs for inclusive workplace practices.
For now, Perry said the city manager is currently reviewing the way city council process large, multi-year contracts to avoid this issue in the future.