Leon Valley swears in councilor
The Leon Valley City Council voted Tuesday night to name longtime resident Matthew Hodde to fill the seat of ousted councilor Benjamin Martinez, who was removed by his fellow council members last week over allegations of abuse of power.
Hodde, 56, will serve the rest of Martinez’s term, which runs through May 2020.
The motion passed 3-0-1, with Councilor Will Bradshaw abstaining.
Mayor Chris Riley swore the new councilor in before he took his place at the empty seat on the dais.
Mayor Pro-Tem Monica Alcocer nominated Hodde, who served as chairman of the city’s Hike and Bike Trail Advisory Committee. He is active in the community and has frequently attended city council meetings.
Hodde grew up in Houston but has lived in Castle Hills since 1995. He and his wife, Mary, have two children, a daughter who recently graduated from college and a son who is still at university.
“I have no agenda,” he said before the vote, “only ideas. We should move forward for the betterment of Leon Valley.”
Martinez sat quietly in the back row of the council chambers, looking on as the council discussed filling his vacated seat.
After the meeting, Martinez said he was “shocked” by how quickly his seat was filled but praised his successor.
“Matt Hodde is a good person who will do a very good job,” Martinez said.
Before the vote, a resident asked that the council also consider Edward Alonzo III, the vice chairman of the Leon Valley Zoning Commission, and former councilor David Jordan for the seat.
Both addressed the council. Jordan said he respectfully declined the nomination. Alonzo said he was interested in the seat but that Hodde would make a good councilor, too.
In the end, the council voted for Hodde.
On Aug. 14, the council voted 2-1 to remove Martinez after deciding he had violated the city charter several times, including giving orders to city employees, involving himself in police procedures and undermining the city manager’s authority.
Councilors Donna Charles and Alcocer voted to remove Martinez. Bradshaw cast the lone opposing vote. Under charter rules, Councilor Catherine Rodriguez couldn’t vote because she had filed a complaint against Martinez that alleged sexual harassment. And Martinez couldn’t vote because he was the subject of the hearing.
The mayor only votes in the case of a tie.