Email, John Hrncir, former government relations officer, City of Austin, Oct. 11, 2016

On Oct 11, 2016, at 15:00, Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin) wrote:

John:

Thanks for the interview. The claim we are checking is in the ad here.

You told  me you recommended that the city hire Pete Gallego after Hugh Brady left for the Obama administration. You said Gallego “was there more as a consultant” than lobbyist. You said: “He was retained primarily to advise us on legal matters and those sorts of things and how to approach various things.” Elaborate on any of that?

When did you retire after all?

Anything else?

Thanks again.

3:56 p.m.

Oct. 11, 2016

I retired completely at the end of May, 2015. I had been working part-time before that during the session.

Gardner, in a typical legislative session the City is potentially impacted by 25% or more of the bills considered. The City usually has to pay attention to the 1200 to 2000 bills impacting it the most of the five to seven thousand filed. Deciding which legislative provisions to amend, pass, or defeat, and the time and effort to spend on each action is a constant process, and decisions are revised, sometimes hourly, until the final gavel at sine die.  Pete Gallego, is an experienced former legislator who had demonstrated exceptional ability at solving problems by finding solutions palatable to multiple factions of legislators-- both parties; rural and urban reps; business and environmental advocates; etc. The constant triage for bills and amendments is critical to the City's success and I was confident that Gallego's advice to the team would be invaluable in maximizing the City's resources.

John Hrncir