Ethics Panel Delays Ruling on Complaint Over McKee-Rodriguez’s Response to a Woman Who Called Him a “Monkey” and His Posting of Her Email Address
A San Antonio ethics review panel is seeking more information before deciding whether District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez violated city ethics rules by publishing a constituent’s personal email address on Facebook.
The panel reviewed the sworn complaint Thursday but did not issue a final determination. Instead, members voted to request an additional written response from McKee-Rodriguez regarding an allegation that he may have used his public position to unfairly harm a private citizen’s interests.
McKee-Rodriguez did not attend the hearing. Panel Vice Chair Philip Ryan Garza said neither the councilman nor the complainant was required to appear or speak.
Complaint Centers on Facebook Posts
San Antonio resident Juan Rider Mireles II filed the complaint June 1, alleging McKee-Rodriguez misused city resources and violated municipal ethics rules by publicly disclosing information obtained through his District 2 office.
KSAT, which obtained a copy of the complaint, reported that it also raised claims involving the City Council code of conduct and federal constitutional standards.
Outside counsel Frank Garza told the panel those additional claims fell outside its jurisdiction. He said the ethics process could only address alleged violations of the city’s ethics code.
The complaint stems from Facebook posts McKee-Rodriguez published in May after a woman, identified as Trisha Thatcher-Garza, referred to the Black councilman as a “monkey” while criticizing his office’s handling of a constituent concern.
“I wrote him regarding an 94 yr old woman on Cactus being exploited and robbed by a family who receives city $$$ to revitalize the Eastside and this monkey mfkr never responded nor did anyone from district 2,” Thatcher-Garza wrote.
McKee-Rodriguez responded by tagging her and sharing a screenshot of the comment.
“Referring to me as a monkey is CRAZY lmao,” he wrote. “Racist.”
He later posted three images, including Thatcher-Garza’s comment, her profile picture and a screenshot of a Sept. 12, 2024, email sent to her by the District 2 office.
According to the complaint, the email screenshot displayed Thatcher-Garza’s full email address and appeared to have been accessed through Microsoft Outlook on an iPhone. Mireles alleged the councilman obtained the information through official city channels before posting it on his personal account.
Councilman Acknowledged Email Should Have Been Redacted
Frank Garza said McKee-Rodriguez submitted a written response dated June 24 acknowledging that he should have removed the email address before publishing the screenshot.
The councilman also completed Texas Public Information Act training June 3, shortly after the incident.
McKee-Rodriguez later added a correction to his Facebook post acknowledging that Thatcher-Garza had received a response from his office in 2024.
“Correction: She reached out and received a response from a member of my team in 2024,” he wrote.
The Sept. 12, 2024, email showed that a District 2 staff member told Thatcher-Garza the council office did not intervene in legal disputes and referred her to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.
The complaint asks the city to review several categories of records, including city device assignments, information technology access logs, cloud-storage audits and internal staff communications.
After meeting in executive session Thursday, the panel returned without taking final action.
“No official action was taken in the executive session,” Philip Ryan Garza said.
Board staff said Mireles will be allowed to respond after the panel receives McKee-Rodriguez’s additional statement. The panel is expected to reconvene later and determine whether the complaint should move forward.
