Here at the San Antonio Report, we love ringing in the new year by reflecting on some of the newsiest moments of the past one.
All year, we keep an ongoing list of unforgettable quotes from the people we’ve talked to and the voices that have mattered most in San Antonio’s local news landscape.
Remember any that we missed? Text your favorites — and sign up for text message updates from our newsroom — at 210-796-6853.
“He managed to achieve more than most do in a full lifetime. But I think of him as a brilliant star that zoomed across our universe too briefly.”
— Catherine Nixon Cooke, the niece of San Antonio’s eccentric millionaire yeti hunter, Tom Slick. While returning to the U.S. from a Canadian excursion in 1962, the 46-year-old Slick died in a plane crash.
“I wanted to create the most Mexican space in San Antonio. That was my goal. To take you to Mexico. To all the things I love about Mexico: the textures, the lighting, the accents, the color, the artistry. I don’t think there’s anything like this in America.”
— Chef Johnny Hernandez on Casa Hernan Cantina.
“I grew up [here] when the Frost Bank Center was originally built, we had a forum like this. They wanted community input. Not one thing we said mattered.”
— Dr. Eva Mason, an East Side resident who spoke at a town hall early this year about the Frost Bank Center’s future.
“We’re in a lot of trouble. Throughout South Texas, Trump and everybody else, they’re, they’re steamrolling Democrats. But in Bexar County, we can’t even be competitive in today’s world? An eight-point loss is a butt-kicking.”
— Greg Brockhouse, Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s conservative challenger in 2019, on Rolando Pablos’ 8.6 percentage point loss to Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.
“In the Alamodome, we were promised a cash cow — and that cow never mooed.”
— A public commenter at an hours-long city council meeting about a possible downtown San Antonio Spurs arena. After public comment and three hours of discussion, the council decided to move forward in its negotiations with the Spurs on funding a new downtown arena despite Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and several others asking to slow the process down.
“It’s about demonstrating strength, power and control through cruelty.”
— State Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio) on Gov. Greg Abbott vetoing $60 million in federal funding Texas families were on track to receive to feed school-aged children while they’re home over the summer.
“This is a relationship we will continue to build on. Henry has been doing this for a very long time. He’s kind of like one of those Corollas that just won’t die.”
— Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones joking about Henry Cisneros’ relationship building with Japan as he received the Order of the Rising Sun Award from the Emperor of Japan.
“With regard to us being in office for another six months, I’ll just say this, if council is going to continue to be the way that it has been for the past few months, I am not interested in that.”
— Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) on the council’s response to the idea of moving city elections to November. Council members ended up approving the idea with a 6-5 vote, extending their terms by six months.
“Leche de Tigre downtown is always poppin’. That’s my kid’s favorite restaurant. There’s not a day that goes by that my son’s not like, “Can we go to Leche?” That’s probably the hottest, trendiest restaurant right now — Leche de Tigre.”
— San Antonio chef Jason Dady in June when asked to name a trendy, new restaurant in town that he likes.
“I think probably the best chef the city has ever had — and the one who has been the most ignored — is Andrew Weissman (a four-time James Beard finalist). Do you remember eating at Le Reve? … I think Le Reve is the best restaurant San Antonio has ever had and one of the best in the state. Can I think of a better meal I’ve had at other restaurants in Texas? No. Not really.”
— Retired Texas Monthly food critic Patricia Sharpe when asked which San Antonio chef had surprised her.
“This museum has always had the plan to discuss the battle in the context of time, from the early Native Americans, all the way through how it affects pop culture today. Those plans have not changed.”
— Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham told reporters she didn’t foresee revisiting the way the Alamo is represented in its ongoing redevelopment, despite the ousting of former Alamo Trust CEO Kate Rogers.
“I felt compelled to fight that, because that’s a dangerous precedent. Somebody took the trouble to find my dissertation. I think it puts a lot of people at risk.”
— Kate Rogers, the former CEO of the Alamo Trust, Inc., on her lawsuit against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham and members of the Alamo Trust’s board of directors.
“The community has spoken. We love this city, we love this county, and the county and the city love us back.”
— Spurs chairman Peter J. Holt on election night after voters officially signed off on plans for a new $1.3 billion NBA arena for the San Antonio Spurs, approving Proposition B with 52.1% of the vote.
