Controversial Leon Valley chief was replaced just days after new acting city manager took office

In a Feb. 1 letter to the interim city manager, Leon Valley Police Chief Joe Salvaggio said he didn’t “wish to sue this city that I truly love.” So instead of filing a lawsuit, the chief said, he would retire if the city would give him 1,678.2 hours of pay in personal and medical leave and severance compensation — at a cost to the city of nearly $117,000, including taxes and retirement — and a positive letter of recommendation.

By March 5, there was a new acting city manager and Salvaggio was out of a job. It’s the latest chapter in a long-running saga of political feuding involving mutual allegations of corruption and heavy-handedness, complaints of pushing and shoving and even several arrests. One council member was kicked off the council by his colleagues after an arduous hearing that lasted eight nights over six weeks. Two were recalled by voters last year. In this latest episode, Salvaggio followed up his Feb. 1 letter with another one three weeks later, this one addressed to the entire council, withdrawing his original offer. He alleged more harassment and once again raised the possibility of filing a whistleblower lawsuit, claiming that several council members “know they are under criminal investigation due to (Salvaggio’s) reporting of their possible illegal activity to an outside law enforcement agency” and that he shouldn’t be fired while the investigation is ongoing. He gave no specifics about his allegations. The 56-year-old chief ended his Feb. 24 letter by saying he could still retire instead of suing, but now any settlement “would need to start at five times the amount” of his initial request.