'It has been a great honor': Uvalde Mayor Cody Smith abruptly resigns effective immediately

Hogan Gore and Bayliss Wagner, Austin American-Statesman
Updated ·2 min read

Uvalde Mayor Cody Smith abruptly resigned from office Monday, citing undisclosed health concerns for his early departure after having secured the position in November in an election inextricably linked to the deadly 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

"I want to thank members of the Uvalde community for their thoughts and prayers during my ongoing recovery from unexpected medical issues I have experienced in recent weeks" Smith said in announcing his immediate resignation Monday.

Mayor Pro-Tem Everardo Zamora will step in as mayor until a new top official is elected in November.

Smith’s resignation follows the departure of former Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez, who abruptly stepped down March 12, less than a week after a city-commissioned report absolved the police department's leadership and responding officers of wrongdoing in the Robb Elementary shooting in which 19 children and two teachers were killed. The controversial report directly contradicts federal investigators' findings that the state and local police response — officers waited more than an hour to confront the gunman — was "a failure that should not have happened." The shooting victims' families slammed the report as "disrespectful" and insulting when it was initially read and chastised the City Council on March 7 for failing to reject it at a public meeting several days after its release.

The City Council in a special meeting Tuesday is scheduled to discuss in executive session "pending or contemplated litigation" related to the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary.

Smith previously served as Uvalde’s mayor from 2008 to 2012, and was reelected in a special election in November in which he defeated Kimberly Mata-Rubio, a gun control advocate and mom to Lexi, a 10-year-old who was killed in the Robb Elementary shooting, which is Texas' deadliest school shooting.

Crosses dedicated to the 21 victims of the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary are placed around the fountain at the City of Uvalde Town Square.
Crosses dedicated to the 21 victims of the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary are placed around the fountain at the City of Uvalde Town Square.

"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," Smith said.

Murals of victims of the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary are painted on the St. Henry de Osso building on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Uvalde, Texas.
Murals of victims of the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary are painted on the St. Henry de Osso building on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Uvalde, Texas.

In response to the announcement Monday, Brett Cross, whose son Uziyah “Uzi” Garcia died in the shooting, called Smith's resignation "a bit disheartening."

"I thought Cody was on the right path of starting to communicate with us, and I felt he was actually going to work with us to better Uvalde and to get justice and accountability," Cross posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.

Editor's note: This story previously stated that the Uvalde City Council was scheduled to "discuss a matter possibly tied to the report about the Robb Elementary School shooting" on Tuesday. The story has been updated to reflect that the council will discuss "pending or contemplated litigation" related to the shooting in the special meeting.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Uvalde Mayor Cody Smith abruptly resigns effective immediately