SAN ANTONIO – This story has been updated
The head of the Alamo Area Council of Governments has been placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into employee complaints, KSAT confirmed through conversations with AACOG board members Monday.
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KSAT later obtained an anonymous letter Wednesday that claimed Executive Director Diane Rath had created a hostile work environment through “relentless negative criticism, name calling, vulgar language, and all around cynical behavior.”
The letter, signed by “Faithful and Loyal AACOG Employees,” stated the message had been sent to all AACOG board members and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Its author asked for an investigation and the opportunity for “I and other staff to openly speak honestly without fear of retaliation and retribution.”
The letter states Rath “only criticizes” and that she “has taken her position to openly and personally attack” AACOG employees.
“I understand that work does require open positive criticism for constant improvement, but work does not require us to work in an environment where you are being attacked personally,” the letter states. “Unfortunately, I believe that in some instances these attacks are motivated by racial and prejudicial beliefs held by Diane Rath.”
Board members were notified Friday that Rath had been placed on leave, pending an investigation, though an AACOG spokesman refused to confirm Rath’s status on Monday.
“In accordance with the law, AACOG is unable to provide comment on any personnel matters,” he said in an emailed statement.
AACOG Board Chairman and McMullen County Judge James Teal similarly told KSAT via email Monday “We won’t comment on Personnel (sic) matters.”
When KSAT tried to contact Rath through her AACOG email address an automatic reply stated she was “currently out on leave.”
Rath did not respond to a request for comment through her profile on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
AACOG is a voluntary association of local governments and organizations from 13 counties. Its board of directors is comprised of representatives from those local governments and organizations, as well as state legislators.
Rath was hired as AACOG’s executive director in 2014. General Counsel and Senior Director Clifford Herberg Jr. is reportedly the interim head of the group in her absence.
Jimmy Hasslocher, who represents University Health on the AACOG board, said he found out about Rath’s suspension with pay on Friday. Hasslocher said he’d been told there was an unsigned letter that had been circulated, but he did not know where it had come from.
“No one has sent me anything that shows ‘I’m complaining about Diane Rath.’ So, I think these are concerns or maybe some complaints other people may have had people tell their complaints,” Hasslocher said.
Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia, who is one of three City of San Antonio representatives on the AACOG board of directors, also confirmed board members were notified Friday about Rath’s placement on leave, pending an investigation.
Another San Antonio councilman on the AACOG board, Manny Pelaez, said he was unaware Rath had been placed on leave. He had, however, heard about the investigation and understood it “from the little bit that I’d heard” to be about multiple employees, not just one.
“I can also tell you that, you know, I’ve worked closely with Diane over the past two years, and I find, you know, she’s a friend, and I find her to be a very, very competent professional,” Pelaez said. “And so, a lot of these complaints come as a surprise to me. But I’m sure she’s taking it pretty seriously.”