Art Acevedo not taking Austin assistant city manager job

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said he will not take the Austin assistant city manager job he was offered last week, according to a post on social media Tuesday.

Last week, Acevedo was offered the role of interim assistant city manager over the Austin Police Department, which was a new role that would report directly to interim City Manager Jesús Garza.

In the social media post, Acevedo said he informed Interim City Manager Garza that he cannot take the position and "will pursue other opportunities." He also said he will rejoin his family in Austin next week.

The decision comes after council members and local leaders questioned the choice to hire Acevedo for the newly created position with a $271,000 salary.

"Unfortunately, politics and power struggles have hindered our efforts to create real positive improvements for the people of the city," he wrote on X. "I firmly believe that if we are to build a future together, we cannot afford to blame others and point fingers."

Interim City Manager Garza sent a memo to the mayor and council members on Tuesday saying Acevedo told him he would withdraw his acceptance of the job.

"The need for additional resources for APD remains and I will be assessing over the next few days what options are available to us," Garza wrote.

Acevedo spent about 10 years as APD chief before leaving in 2016 to lead the other police departments in Houston and Miami and Aurora. He most recently worked in Aurora, Colorado, where his last day of work was Monday.

Several local leaders shared concerns about Acevedo's return to Austin due to the department's failure to properly investigate sexual assaults between 2006 and 2019, which included time during Acevedo's chief tenure.

In 2022 the city settled a lawsuit with 15 sexual assault survivors regarding the mishandled investigations. The lawsuit led to changes within APD and the district attorney's office. In 2022, a report said APD had made "substantial progress" in its handling of sexual assault cases.

On Monday, a group of five Austin council members met with Garza to ask questions about Acevedo's hiring and discuss his record. After the meeting, a council message board update said the city manager had heard their concerns and that Garza would meet with his team in the coming days.

"While we agree with ICM Garza’s emphasis on the need to improve police recruitment, implement academy reforms, and increase staffing, we do not have confidence that the proposed hire will advance our shared goals," the group's message said in part.

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza previously said the hiring of Acevedo would be "a step backwards for survivors of sexual assault."

The city issued a formal apology Tuesday afternoon for the police department's mishandling of the sex assault cases between 2006 and 2019. APD said the apology was scheduled before the announcement of Acevedo's now-turned-down job.

Announcement reactions

Council Member Vanessa Fuentes said on social media that the timing of Acevedo's announcement follows the city's public apology to sexual assault survivors.

"These last few days made it clear that Council, advocates, community members, and sexual assault survivors believe this offer would cause more harm than good," Fuentes wrote on X.

Council Member Mackenzie Kelly said on social media that she hand-delivered a memo to Interim City Manager Garza. Her letter detailed concerns about transparency in city personnel changes, particularly with "executive-level positions with salaries exceeding $200,000."

"It was pointed out that the lack of advanced notice to the City Council hinders my ability as a Council Member to provide meaningful input and engage in fruitful discussions before such decisions are finalized,"she wrote in a memo to Garza.

This developing story will be updated.