This article has been updated.
San Antonio City Council voted Monday to admonish Councilman Clayton Perry for his involvement in an alleged hit-and-run crash on Nov. 6, but ultimately declined to ask him to resign.
The District 10 councilman admitted to leaving the scene of an accident near his home in Northeast San Antonio earlier this month, a misdemeanor he was arrested for Thursday, and is still under investigation for a DWI.
But less than two hours before City Council’s special meeting to determine whether he would be sanctioned, Perry held a press conference, saying he was taking “full responsibility and wholly acknowledge” that his actions “caused the accident.” He asked colleagues for a sabbatical from his City Council duties so that he could seek help, though he did not specify what kind of help or whether it involved treatment for alcohol abuse.
“During this time, I will be taking the appropriate measures as determined by medical professionals to ensure that this will never happen again,” Perry said. “I commit wholeheartedly to whatever course of action or rehabilitation they recommend.”
Perry declined to say whether he was drinking the night of the crash, in which his Jeep Wrangler struck a Honda Civic while making too wide a turn at an intersection, and avoided questions after the meeting.
During its meeting Monday, City Council laid plans to appoint a replacement to represent District 10 during Perry’s absence. City Attorney Andy Segovia said the appointment would take place after an application and interview process.
“To the residents of District 10 … you all still deserve someone to cast a vote,” said Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4). “You need someone on this dais that might not always agree with all of us … that will speak their mind and that represents your values.”
Council considered calling for Perry to resign.
Following a public apology and a promise to seek help, however, Perry’s council colleagues removed that provision from Monday’s vote. Mayor Ron Nirenberg cast the only vote against that change. Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) spoke in favor of calling for Perry to resign but abstained from the amendment.
“There are lingering questions my constituents have,” McKee-Rodriguez said. “Had it been them, would they be met with the grace that he was shown?”
The no-confidence resolution says Perry acted “in a manner that at the very least suggests he was severely intoxicated but lucid enough to evade the officer’s questions concerning his driving his vehicle and his whereabouts that evening.” It was approved unanimously with Perry and Councilman Mario Bravo (D1) abstaining.
“The fact that we are here today, presented with a vote of calling for Councilman Perry to resign feels rushed and quite frankly, feels more like campaigning from this dais rather than doing the work that we were elected to do,” Bravo said.
Council can’t actually remove a member unless they’re convicted for a crime involving “moral turpitude,” according to the city charter.
Council voted last week on a plan to create a code of conduct for members that will apply to future actions. It did so as it issued a vote of no confidence against Bravo over a confrontation with Councilwoman Ana Sandoval (D7) in September.
Seeking help
Before Monday’s meeting Perry gathered reporters at his district field office, where he read a statement asking colleagues to delay their planned vote admonishing him.
“I’m asking for some time for me to heal, for due process to play out and for a little humanity and compassion,” Perry said. “I’m a human. I made a bad decision. A huge one. I’d ask that my colleagues show some compassion and patience and give me time to make corrections for my most regrettable actions.”
Video footage from the night of the incident shows Perry lying in his backyard and refusing to answer questions from a police officer about where he had been and whether he had been driving the black Jeep, which reportedly was parked in his driveway and still running. Perry instead repeated he had “had a good time” before trying to use a credit card to unlock his door.
“I’m very, very grateful to God that no one else was injured, and I humbly and respectfully ask for forgiveness,” Perry said of the crash.
Northeast Neighborhood Alliance President Mike Gallagher, who previously represented District 10, said he had spoken with Perry about the incident and believed medication could have been involved.
“One of the major issues is medical,” said Gallagher. “I understand that Councilman Perry had apparently been to his doctor on the Friday before this incident, and if he was prescribed any medications that he was unaware of … he certainly could be innocent of any charges.”
On Saturday, Gallagher wrote to Nirenberg and council members asking them to hold off on calling for Perry’s resignation.
“It would be tragic to rush to judgment, especially if we find there were medical problems involved and if the Councilman was later found innocent of the charges against him,” Gallagher wrote.
Republican Party of Bexar County Chair Jeff McManus attended Monday’s meeting to speak on Perry’s behalf.
“Thank you, Clayton, for acknowledging your errors,” McManus said. “I believe that the council should give him time to reflect and decide on his own.”
Lone conservative voice
Perry was elected to the nonpartisan District 10 council seat in 2017. He took 53% of the vote in a runoff against energy attorney Ezra Johnson to represent the historically more conservative, affluent Northeast San Antonio district.
Johnson ran against Perry again in 2021, but was no match for the incumbent that time. Perry received just over 54% of the general election vote with a crowded ballot.
A retired civil engineer in the U.S. Air Force, Perry campaigned on public safety — specifically calling for more police officers, military support, property tax relief and a back-to-basics budget that prioritizes infrastructure and maintenance.
He has kept those conservative stances over the years, pushing for the city to fill vacancies in the police force as well as more street maintenance and working with Councilman John Courage (D9) to pass the city’s first homestead property tax exemption.
As the lone conservative on a relatively progressive council, he often finds himself on the losing side of votes — often casting the sole “no” vote — on high-profile issues.
He voted against the council’s resolution in support of abortion rights, abstained from another that recognized racism as a public health crisis, and voted against additional funding for housing and utility costs for residents during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Perry leaned on his military experience when he was questioned by reporters after posting bail last week.
“I’ve served my country in the military. I’ve served the city on City Council. And there are processes for all this,” he said, while declining to comment on whether he remembered anything about the night he was allegedly disruptive at a nearby Bill Millers restaurant and was involved in a hit-and-run car accident.
Compared to his colleagues on City Council, Perry has quite a bit of money in his campaign account, roughly $63,000 according to the most recent campaign finance reports. He has frequently floated his name for other offices, including a recent opening on the Bexar County Commissioners Court.
