As one could have expected from Joseph Krier’s habitually cavalier perspective towards fiduciary responsibilities,San Antonio’s interim city council appointment for District 9 was quick to approve the first portion of a rate-hike package proposed by the San Antonio Water System (SAWS).
With the only conservative councilman Carlton Soules (who is leaving his seat to run for District Judge) voting against the rate increase, Krier went along to get along, siding with the liberal majority on the council to force San Antonio residents to pick up the tab for their water utility’s bad management. And what did he have to lose? After all, Krier won’t have to pay for those pesky rate increases that his constituents will have to bear.
That’s right, Councilman Krier is exempt from the rate increases he supported for his constituents. How? He happens to be the acting president and a ratepayer of Cadillac Water Supply Corp. – essentially his own personal water district.
Its entire jurisdiction consists only of the street Krier lives on, Cadillac Drive, with a miniscule 162 total estimated residents serviced.
So not only did he support a de facto tax increase on everyone but himself and immediate neighbors, (laughably citing SAWS conservation efforts as justification), he concretely illustrated his disconnect with the historically conservative voter base in his district.
As it turns out, Krier has also displayed an alarming lack of understanding about the local government ethics code. In fact, he might have violated the San Antonio Ethics Code in multiple ways. As a member of the executive leadership team for a for-profit entity directly impacted by an increase in competitor’s rates, his vote represents a conflict of interest under Sec. 2-43. Also, as an individual, his vote to increase rates on the surrounding areas increases the economic desirability of the property and neighborhood in which he resides, possibly constituting another violation.
District 9 is one of the most conservative districts represented on San Antonio’s city council. With the only arguably conservative council members Elisa Chan and Carlton Soules leaving, the May 10th election takes on even greater importance. Voters in District 9 need to make themselves heard now, lest their conservative principles end up falling on the deaf ears of a status-quo politician.
