Uvalde Mayor Cody Smith Resigns, Citing Health Concerns

Uvalde mayoral candidate Cody Smith gestures toward a voter waiting in a long line outside of the SSGT Willie de Leon Civic Center in Uvalde, Texas, on Election Day, Nov. 7, 2023. (Sam Owens/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

The mayor of Uvalde, Texas, abruptly resigned from office on Monday, effective immediately, citing undisclosed health concerns.

“I want to thank the members of the Uvalde community for their thoughts and prayers during my ongoing recovery from unexpected medical issues I have experienced in recent weeks,” Mayor Cody Smith said in a statement. “After much consultation and prayer, I have decided to resign as Mayor of the City of Uvalde to focus on my health. It has been a great honor to serve the city and community I love, and I have great confidence that Mayor Pro-Tem Everardo Zamora will serve with honor until the next mayor is elected on November 5, 2024.”

His announcement was made a day before a city council meeting that was previously postponed over concerns about his health.

Mr. Smith, who previously served two terms as mayor from 2008 to 2012, was reelected in a special election in November 2023 to finish the term of former Mayor Don McLaughlin, who stepped down to run for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. Mr. McLaughlin won the Republican primary on March 5 and will be on the ballot in November for the state House.

Police Chief’s Resignation

The mayor’s departure also comes the same week Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez is expected to step down from his post, nearly two years after one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

Mr. Rodriguez, who served the community for 26 years, announced his resignation just days after a city council report cleared several officers of wrongdoing in the May 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

“We wish him the best as he pursues new career opportunities,” Mr. Smith said in a statement at the time.

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The police chief’s last day is April 6. Assistant Chief Homer Delgado will be named interim chief of police while the city searches for Mr. Rodriguez’s replacement.

Mr. Rodriguez, who was on vacation at the time of the elementary school shooting, said in his resignation letter last month that it was time for him to make a career change.

“I want to express my deepest appreciation to all of my colleagues and team members for their unwavering support, professionalism, and dedication to our mission of serving and protecting the community,” he said. “It has been a privilege to work alongside such talented and committed individuals, and I will miss our collaborations and camaraderie dearly.”

Investigation Reports

Many residents, including the parents and families of children killed in the 2022 school shooting, were outraged at the city council report exonerating all members of the police department for their actions during the shooting.

Jesse Prado, an Austin-based private investigator and former police detective, authored the report. He was paid $97,000 to conduct the independent investigation, according to city council records.

Mr. Prado presented his findings in a special city council meeting, prompting eruptions of anger from victims’ families and community members.

The report acknowledged police failures that left hundreds of federal, state, and local law enforcement members standing outside the school for 77 minutes while the killer remained inside a classroom. The report stated the Uvalde officers had followed department policies and had acted “in good faith.”

Earlier this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released its own report, which found “cascading failures” in law enforcement’s handling of the deadly shooting. The DOJ report specifically named Uvalde Police Lt. Mariano Pargas, who was the acting chief of police in Mr. Rodriguez’s absence. Mr. Pargas stepped down from the police department in November 2022.

“The most significant failure was that responding officers should have immediately recognized the incident as an active shooter situation, using the resources and equipment that were sufficient to push forward immediately and continuously toward the threat until entry was made into classrooms 111/112 and the threat was eliminated,” reads the DOJ report.

In July 2022, the Texas House of Representatives issued a report containing similar findings to the Justice Department’s report.

No officers have been charged in the incident or the police response. However, a handful of law enforcement officers were fired following the shooting, including Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who was the acting incident commander.