LEON VALLEY, Texas – Leon Valley City Manager Gilbert Perales has resigned after only being with the city for a short time, according to a resignation letter obtained by KSAT.
In the letter penned to Leon Valley Mayor Chris Riley on Nov. 9, Perales said his resignation was due to some elected officials and citizens’ inability to move on from the past administration’s faults.
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Perales said he had come into the position hoping to put more focus on the future and make an impact on the community. However, not everyone was committed to his vision, he said.
“The continuous barrage of disrespectful public comments towards staff and the constant cyberbullying is borderline harassment and is something I am not willing to spend the rest of my tenure defending or debating,” Perales said in the letter.
Perales said the final straw was when he realized that some leaders on the council were not committed to “professional leadership.”
A document called “Summary of Proposed Changes to Leon Valley City Charter” was submitted by the council. The first priority listed in the document would “eliminate the provisions which transferred power from the Mayor and City Council to the City Manager,” the resignation letter said.
While Perales said this decision was the city council’s right to make, it made no reason for him to stay in his position, especially when the “council continues to question the authority vested on the City Manager,” the letter states.
“Life, especially my professional life, is too short, and while my heart is heavy with the thought that I am abandoning a great, dedicated staff, I see no light at the end of this tunnel,” Perales said.
His resignation will go into effect on January 15, 2022.
You can read Perales’ full letter below.