Pharr pays attorney $400K to walk away
The Pharr City Commission voted unanimously last week to pay City Attorney Patricia Ann Rigney $400,000 to walk away quietly from the job she’s held for the past eight years, seven spent as an hourly employee with all the benefits afforded as a full-time employee (vacation pay, gas allowance, etc.). Clock in, clock out, attend city meetings, collect a check.
In the “Comprehensive Severance and Release Agreement,” made public last week via a public information request, both parties, the city and Rigney, agree to part amicably and not battle out their differences in court. Of the $400k, $50,000 (minus W-2 deductions) was for “lost wages,” given the fact that Rigney still had approximately a year left on her second four-year city contract.
Her official work with the city began in August 2015, three months after the current administration won the big mayoral city election, completely uprooting the old guard.
The remaining $350,000 will be paid to Rigney via a 1099 (no taxes, FICA deducted) for “alleged emotional distress and other nonwage damages.”
At the time of her departure, Rigney was considered by many in the know to be among the highest paid city attorneys in Hidalgo County: earning approximately $400,000 per year for the past seven-plus years. Her first four-year contract with the city went into effect June 20, 2016.
Rigney’s initial work with the city, however, started in August 2015 when she was hired to basically replace the former city attorney who was working on an as-needed basis for $175 per hour. At the time, Pharr agreed to pay Rigney $150 per hour.
When her first four-year contract went into effect in 2016, however, her hourly rate was bumped up to $225 per hour.
To get an in-depth understanding of why the City of Pharr and Patricia Rigney parted ways, The Advance interviewed city reporter Gregg Wendorf.
The Advance News Journal: So, what is really behind the separation between Rigney and the city?
Wendorf: “I know, but I can’t say.”
The Advance News Journal: Why not?
Wendorf: “Because none of my sources will speak on the record about the $400,000 severance package. Typical when personnel matters are in play.”
The Advance News Journal: Did she resign or did the city fire her?
Wendorf: “That all depends on who you ask. Again, no one will speak on the record since it involves personnel matters. Rigney has apparently told some people that she did not resign but was fired. Without naming names, I know some city people who don’t agree with that assessment.
“For background, I’ve been told by someone on the periphery that attorneys with the city’s insurer, the Texas Municipal League, said that it would be cheaper to pay Patricia Rigney the $400,000 as opposed to battling this separation out in a courtroom setting. So there you have it.”
The Advance News Journal: Only three months ago, the top city administration included City Manager Anali Alanis, Deputy City Manager Ed Wylie, and City Attorney Patricia Rigney. All three were reportedly a tight group at one point in time. Now they’re all gone except for Ed Wylie, who’s currently under contract with the city for $120,000 a year, according to at least one inside source, even if the city won’t yet release a copy of his contract. What caused the dissension among the ranks?
Wendorf: “Basically, from what I know, it all fell apart when Patricia Rigney filed a sexual harassment complaint against Wylie in 2021, which opened up what was previously a private city personnel matter to public disclosure. When all of that went public in early 2023, in an election year, no less, the stuff really started to hit the fan.
“Like all sexual harassment complaints, when a governmental body releases the complaint, it redacts the name of the complainant. In this case, though, the complainant was the city attorney, making more than the city manager at the time, who once worked well with Wylie, sharing jokes here and there.
“Meaning, this wasn’t your typical sexual harassment complaint where a boss with power was hitting on the office secretary who desperately needed to keep her job.”
The Advance News Journal: What was the real story behind that?
Wendorf: “Can’t say. Everything I got was off the record. I do know that an outside attorney investigated the matter, and the case was closed. When I pointed out in a previous story that the investigation ran into the proverbial brick wall because Wylie was willing to turn over his texts from his private cell, but Ms. Rigney was not, I was accused on social media of blaming the victim.
“Of course, social media is the same place that reported last week that the new county courthouse had to be demolished because its foundation was giving way, which wasn’t true, so who are you going to believe? A legitimate news source like The Advance, or an anonymous social media page?”
The Advance News Journal: Why are you interviewing yourself for this story? Don’t you worry that people are going to think you’re weird?
Wendorf: “It’s deadline Tuesday, I need a laugh. Plus, the people who know me, know I’m weird. Nothing new there.”
The Advance News Journal: Have you ever been paid $400,000 to walk away from a job?
Wendorf: “In my younger days, I was told to walk away, but it never came with any pay.”
The Advance News Journal: Anything you’d like to add to this interview?
Wendorf: “Sure. There are a lot of parts to this story – the city vs. Patricia Rigney, including the Ed Wylie story – that will never be told because people in the know just don’t feel free to tell it for a variety of reasons. Everything written or produced of late about the Pharr story, which includes Rigney, Wylie, and the city, should be taken with a grain of salt. There’s a lot more to this story that will never see the light of day, especially since it involves high-ranking city personnel, and now a separation agreement, with talk of alleged emotional distress.”
The Advance News Journal: Anything else?
Wendorf: “Yeah, I actually like interviewing myself. We should do this more often.”
The Advance News Journal: You are nuts.
Wendorf: “Thank you.”