District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito on Wednesday accused city staff of intentionally selecting cuts to resident services in the proposed budget as a way to pit council members against each other.
During a tense Wednesday discussion of the city’s looming $158 million budget deficit, Alderete Gavito also requested that City Manager Erik Walsh look for cost-saving measures within City Hall and municipal government rather than ones that would directly affect services available to residents.
“I think it’s really interesting that y’all put up these line items that really impact residents and start riling us up against each other,” Alderete Gavito said. “The argument is not against each other for our residents. I think the argument should be, ‘How do we cut fat internally?’”…