Embattled San Antonio City Councilman Marc Whyte is caught in a new swirl of controversy with accusations of a power misuse in a private family law dispute. These claims add to Whyte's already troubled image as he fights a charge of driving while intoxicated. Martin Phipps, a local attorney, filed an ethics complaint against the councilman, alleging that Whyte leveraged his position to influence a situation involving Phipps' ongoing custody battle. According to KSAT, the controversy stems from an April 26th incident at Phipps' home where police conducted a welfare check on a child.
The thick of the dispute appears to be rooted in a text message forwarded to the councilman by his wife, who also happens to be an attorney of record for Phipps' ex-wife. Phipps, fighting his own shadows of past allegations ranging from harassment to creating a hostile work environment, claims Whyte used his clout to dispatch San Antonio Police officers to his home unjustly. In a phone interview with KSAT, Whyte refuted these claims calling the allegation "completely frivolous" and stood firm on his actions being that of "a concerned citizen."
Details on the case continued to unravel as the I-Team from News4SanAntonio dug deeper, highlighting that Whyte never called 911 but rather sought the help of fellow councilmember Manny Pelaez and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar who was present at an event close to Phipps' house. The ensuing events, captured on home surveillance and police reports, did not find evidence of jeopardy to Phipps' child despite Whyte's insistence that the child was at risk, based on forwarded text messages from his wife.
Whyte's action has sparked an ethics investigation, with Phipps' complaint highlighting a conflict of interest, unfair advancement of private interests, and misuse of public resources for personal gain. Phipps' attorney, Patricia Finch, inferred potential civil rights violations, and tensions grow as a firmly planted cloud of disarray hovers over Whyte's intentions. Phipps told News4SanAntonio, "Officer Romo had written that Mark Whyte had texted the Sheriff's Deputy to look into me." The ethical quicksand that Whyte seemingly stands upon deepens, and Phipps and his legal representation are not inclined to let the matter settle without scrutiny.
Echoing the sense of injustice and the intention to fight the alleged misuse of power, Phipps, through his law firm's spokesman Colin Strother, stated his hope that the ethics complaint would cease Whyte's practice of benefiting his wife's business through his official position.
