CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo has been suspended for 30 days after a jury of city councilmembers found her guilty on three charges, including perjury in a 2025 deposition hearing — the charge that triggered a 5-1 vote to suspend her. She was also reprimanded for the charge.
Another charge accused her of misconduct, malfeasance, or willfull neglect of her duties by aiding fraud against the taxpayers related to the alleged need for complying with newly defined FEMA flood maps and/or altered FEMA screenshot.
The final charge accused Guajardo of failing to keep confidentiality of a CCREDC meeting.
She was found guilty on all three charges by the council.
All of them related to $2 million in tax incentives going to the Homewood Suites project after a FEMA flood map was altered.
Each charge carried three options for a vote: removing the mayor, suspending the mayor, or reprimanding the mayor.
She was suspended for one of the charges.
Paulette Guajardo's reaction
Guajardo addressed the ruling in a statement.
"I will say that serving as mayor it's about protecting our city, it's about fighting for our future and honoring the trust of the people that elected me," Guajardo said.
When asked how she was feeling after the ruling, she had nothing more to add.
Ajit David, petitioner against the Mayor, gives statement after hearing
Many wanted to see Guajardo removed altogether, which would have prevented her from running for office for two years.
The petitioners against the Mayor started the hearing by signing a document to start the removal process according to the City Charter.
One of the petitioners, Ajit David, whose lawsuit initiated the hearing about the alleged fraud, gave a statement to Drew Bishop after the ruling:
“Our “full time” Mayor was just suspended as Mayor (out of office), and reprimanded for her conduct beneath the status of the office of Mayor.
The City Council’s verdict adamantly proclaims: ‘We, the City’s leadership, hereby denounce the Mayor’s fraud and corruption.’ The Mayor was found guilty of aiding the fraud of $2,000,000 of taxpayers’ money; perjury; and violation of her confidentiality agreement.
More corruption soon to be revealed. “
Councilmembers split in vote to remove or suspend Mayor Guajardo
Councilmembers Sylvia Campos and Gil Hernandez, who voted in favor of Guajardo's removal, said the evidence forced their hands.
"I saw the evidence and to me there was no other way to vote on this on her removal," Campos said.
While the removal did not pass, they were satisfied with a suspension.
"Those are consequences for the actions so it's not like she got away with nothing," Hernandez said.
Councilmembers Carolyn Vaughn and Eric Cantu voted for Guajardo's suspension but not for her removal. Cantu said the permanent decision belongs in the hands of the voters, but the council needed to send a message.
"We've got to stop the corruption," Cantu said.
Vaughn said the mayor knew about the corruption when $2 million in tax incentives were awarded to the Homewood Suites project.
"I'm never happy about anything like this I don't like it that we had to do it but it had to be done because we had to send a message because the City of Corpus Christi is not going to tolerate corruption," Vaughn said.
Councilman Mark Scott, who voted against removal, suspension, or reprimand of the mayor on all counts, said he believed the hearing should not have been in the hands of city council, and the proceeding did not change his mind.
"I was told there's more. I didn't hear more. I didn't think it met the standards necessary to remove, or suspend, or reprimand," Scott said.
Who is the sitting Mayor of Corpus Christi?
With Guajardo suspended, Mayor Pro Tem Kaylynn Paxson will take the mayor's seat for 30 days.
"It's a completely random selection. It just was a natural, by chance this took place while I was Mayor Pro Tem," Paxson said.
With the 30 days beginning as the hearing ended, Guajardo will be off city council for the first time since she was elected at-large in 2016.
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