SAN ANTONIO – An outside media consultant brought on board by San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones in late August is costing taxpayers $10,000 a month, internal city records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
The contract between Washington, D.C.-based Frontwood Strategies and the city was finalized last month.
In the $30,000 proposal for strategic communications support, a representative of the public relations firm wrote that it would help the mayor get ahead of any future stories and allow for an easy transition once she identifies a communications director.
“Since your inauguration in June, reporters have had the space to shape the narrative around your office and your work,” the proposal states.
The agreement is tentatively scheduled to run through the end of October, according to an Aug. 25 memo requesting the funding.
The contract itself, however, has an end date of Nov. 30, 2026, records show.
Jones on Wednesday defended the contract, telling KSAT in a written statement that the agreement is to bridge the gap until a dedicated communications person is in place.
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Jones replaced her chief of staff less than three weeks into her term. An assistant to the mayor who handled media inquiries the last week of July, Gary Cooper, left her office and moved into a different role in city communications.
“One helluva week, though!” Cooper wrote on LinkedIn Aug. 1, before replying to a comment, “Not a good fit is what I was told.”
Austin-based communications specialist embedded in mayor’s office
Philippa Martinez-Berrier, an Austin-based vice president of Frontwood Strategies, emailed multiple KSAT reporters on Aug. 27 stating she was a San Antonio native who would be supporting the mayor’s communications on a short-term basis.
The recommended “3-month-engagement” proposed by Frontwood Strategies includes sharing morning media news, a daily call to define a daily communications strategy and engaging reporters on the mayor’s behalf.
“As you face mounting pressure from the press, we recommend engaging media as soon as possible by responding to press inquiries when appropriate,” the proposal states.
Among the proposal’s “immediate next steps” was issuing a Project Marvel status update, booking a “friendly interview on a local morning show” for the mayor to lay out her vision for the city, and explaining the mayor’s role in the budget process.
The formal contract also stipulates that the media consultant be reimbursed for travel expenses, but that total compensation cannot exceed $30,000 “without prior approval and agreement of all parties.”
Jones, through her outside media consultant, told KSAT via email Wednesday: “Our city employees have existing portfolios of work, and similar to previous mayors, I’m in the process of getting dedicated communications support for my office. I have brought on Philippa Martinez-Berrier, a San Antonio native working with Frontwood Strategies, to help bridge the gap and ensure our constituents are informed of our work in the interim.”
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
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