SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County justice of the peace who was twice caught campaigning for his daughter in a 2020 state senate race has stepped down, calling out nepotism and salaries paid to employees who do not show up to work in a lengthy resignation letter announcing his exodus.
Precinct 1, Place 2 Justice of the Peace Ciro Rodriguez stepped down Sept. 30, the same day he wrote the letter.
He had 15 months left on a judicial term that runs through the end of 2022.
Rodriguez, a former U.S. congressman who was appointed to the J.P. position then later was elected to a full term, described his departure as a retirement and said he could no longer be part of a court system that “I believe lacks some basic accountability measures.”
Judge Ciro Rodriguez Retirement Letter by Dillon Collier on Scribd
“It is my opinion, and that of many in the community we serve, that too often government and those elected to serve are not focused on working for the people and instead are focused on serving themselves. That is not just a perceived problem, it’s a real and growing problem as the practice of nepotism and spending taxpayer dollars on salaries for employees who do not appear for work continues within this court. It is clear that there is a great need for increased oversight and accountability ensuring better representation and service for the people by this court that otherwise does so much good for our shared community,” Rodriguez wrote.
Undercover videos obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders in late 2019 showed Rodriguez repeatedly campaigning for his daughter, then a candidate for Texas Senate District 19, despite state laws forbidding judges from campaigning on behalf of another person.
Sources at the time told the Defenders the conduct of Rodriguez had been reported to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
The Defenders could find no record that Rodriguez was ever disciplined.
After refusing to discuss the accusations against him in person, Rodriguez later apologized via telephone.
Here is a transcript of that message:
Dillon, this is Ciro Rodriguez, Judge Rodriguez, and let me apologize, you know. You know, I’m aware of the judicial conduct. I thought I had some leeway because it was my daughter. I know I’m not supposed to pass out any literature, if that’s the case. I apologize to my constituency for doing that. It’s a tough situation because you want to do everything you can for your daughter in this case, but that’s not going to be happening anymore. So this is Judge Rodriguez (phone number redacted.)
However, weeks after apologizing, pictures again showed Rodriguez campaigning for his daughter, attorney Xochil Peña Rodriguez.
Peña Rodriguez eventually lost in July 2020 in a Democratic primary runoff to Roland Gutierrez.
Gutierrez later defeated Republican Sen. Pete Flores in last year’s general election.
A separate Defenders investigation found that a short-term 33 percent salary adjustment given to Judge Rodriguez in 2018, when the other J.P. in his precinct contracted a life-threatening bacterial infection, remained in place even after the other J.P returned to work.
The increase boosted Rodriguez’s salary from $88,040 a year to more than $117,000 a year, according to figures provided last year by the Bexar County Auditor’s office.
Bexar County budget employees who questioned why Rodriguez continued to collect full-time pay were instructed to leave the increase in place, records later showed.
County budget officials had suggested cutting Rodriguez’s salary in half earlier this year, to reflect a part-time work schedule.
A county spokeswoman was checking to see if the suggestion was included in the adopted budget, which went into effect last week.
County officials have not provided details on the next steps to replace Rodriguez.
Ciro Rodriguez is the older brother of former longtime Precinct 1 Commissioner Sergio “Chico” Rodriguez, who was ousted from office after garnering less than 40 percent of the vote in the Democratic runoff in July 2020.