Fort Worth city manager reprimanded after trip with Sundance Square owners

Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke was publicly reprimanded Tuesday for taking a trip to Colorado on a private plane with billionaire couple Ed and Sasha Bass.

Cooke will remain in his role but must recuse himself from all city business tied to Sundance Square — which the Basses own — and the Downtown Public Improvement District. The city attorney, Leann Guzman, will be responsible for any necessary mediation related to the district.

A written statement from Mayor Mattie Parker and the City Council said Cooke’s decision to take the Labor Day weekend trip to Aspen showed “questionable judgement” and that, when asked about it, he “exercised poor communication to the public.”

“As public officials, we all are, and should be, held to a higher standard, and it is imperative we demonstrate the highest level of ethics,” the statement said. “Public trust is critical for us to serve effectively and impartially, and recent events have cause that trust to come into question.”

The statement said officials must use “heightened discretion” when personal friendships involve people tied to city business, adding that the council “expects better judgement and communication” from Cooke moving forward.

This decision comes after the Fort Worth Report reported on the concerns raised by the trip.

Cooke could not immediately be reached for comment, but he previously told the Fort Worth Report that the perceptions of a conflict of interest were flawed.

“It assumes that everybody at City Hall is making decisions based on friendships and not the policies,” he said. “There’s not a policy you’re going to find that says, ‘Hey, give better deals to the people that you hang out with.’”

Cooke has been Fort Worth’s city manager since 2014.