When you ask your workplace about hiring a former business partner, should you disclose that you used to work for that company?

El Paso City Rep Larry Romero says he didn’t think he needed to let the former city manager know that he worked for Estrada Hinojosa, a company he wanted the city to consider doing business with. Romero spoke with Joyce Wilson soon after he was elected about the company, Estrada Hinojosa, but didn’t tell her that he worked with them 12-15 years ago.

Romero says he had nothing to gain from the company potentially getting a multi-million contract with the city because they didn’t contribute to his campaign. Wilson told Romero that the city wasn’t looking for a new financial advisor, so he said he backed off.

Coincidentally, the city began to look for a new financial advisor earlier this year, at Romero's suggestion, and still he didn’t disclose his history with Estrada Hinojosa even though they were in the running for the job.

Now Mayor Oscar Leeser wants to know why the city got started looking at a new financial advisor in the first place, and why the process suddenly stopped in October. He's ordered separate reports from the city manager and the internal auditor.

Both reports are due tomorrow, and Leeser wants the reports to go to his office, and not the city manager's office. Leeser says he wants to find out if the reports can show what is going on, but if he isn't satisfied, an independent investigator could be brought in.

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