Austin Fires City Manager After Storm Knocks Out Power for Days
A "Closed No Power" sign at a Starbucks location following a winter storm in Austin, Texas, on Feb 3.
Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/BloombergAustin fired its city manager over a bungled response to the ice storm that struck the Texas capital, leaving thousands of residents without power for more than a week earlier this month.
Spencer Cronk was criticized for a lack of communication in the immediate aftermath of the ice storm, which caused widespread electrical outages when tree limbs loaded with hundreds of pounds of ice crashed to the ground, taking power lines with them. As the local school district unexpectedly closed for four days, residents complained that they didn’t have a clear picture of the scope of the problems, with the city initially failing to make clear how long it would take to restore service to everyone.