In a recent interview with the Austin American-Statesman, outgoing Austin Energy General Manager Larry Weis said he thought the Austin City Council was "naive" and vulnerable to outside influences because of the council members’ inexperience.

In the candid interview, Weis also said that Austin Energy would be better off if it were run by an independent board, because the council has a full plate dealing with zoning issues, the water utility and the various purchasing contracts it is asked to approve.

But that interview didn’t sit well with City Manager Marc Ott. In a memo to the mayor and City Council on Tuesday, first reported by the Austin Monitor, Ott said he was "disappointed" and "troubled" by what was conveyed in the article.

"I would never expect a member of my executive team to go to the media and share their opinions via an ‘exit interview’ format," Ott said. "I would hope that any member of my team would honor the organization’s effort to improve by sharing their thoughts during our internal ‘exit interview’ process." Ott said he did not endorse the interview and only learned about it after the fact.

"The opinions shared in this article are not reflective of my perspective," Ott said. He took issue with the characterization of the City Council as naive and told the council that they have gotten up to speed quickly on utility issues.

He concluded with an apology for how the City Council was conveyed in the article.