Lawyer Martin Phipps alleges San Antonio councilman deleted message at heart of ethics case

The public pissing match between District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte and a former colleague turned adversary — controversial San Antonio attorney Martin Phipps — took another odd turn on Tuesday. After a half-hour executive session, the citizen-appointed Ethics Review Board unanimously voted to move forward with a hearing on an allegation from Phipps that the councilman abused his power asking authorities to investigate the attorney. The hearing, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Aug. 14, will allow the board to question Whyte on his actions on April 26, the night before Fiesta's King William Fair.