As the council member for San Antonio’s District 1, my top goals are to make sure we have a handle on infrastructure projects, to improve public safety and to support small businesses.
If you have driven down St. Mary’s or Broadway recently, you won’t be surprised to hear that construction on those streets has been disruptive. Residents couldn’t walk or bike down them for months at a time, while businesses up and down the roads saw fewer and fewer customers. The perfect construction project does not exist, but we can certainly do better and ensure we maintain our roads and sidewalks while minimizing their impact on our community.
As part of this goal, I plan on creating an infrastructure director position in my office. I plan to charge them with combing through upcoming projects, looking for ways to minimize disruptions to our neighborhoods and businesses, and making sure residents know what to expect.
Regarding public safety, I see the challenge as threefold. First, we need to establish more low-barrier shelters for residents experiencing chronic homelessness. I fully support the city manager’s recent proposal to use federal funding for two low-barrier shelters as well as City Council’s recent push for long-term supportive housing.
Second, I believe we need more police officers so we can cut 911 response times and give officers more time for proactive policing and community engagement. The proposed budget for 2024 will include funding for 100 new police officers, and I support that investment.
Third, I want to challenge the city to look at the built environment — our streets, sidewalks, street lights — and see how we can change it to make residents safer. Take street lights for example. Generally, well-lit streets are safer than poorly-lit streets. My challenge to city staff is this: how can we place new lights on streets with high crime or car collisions, and can we expedite installing those first?
And third in my office priorities, I look forward to supporting our small businesses. District 1 is home to so many unique shops, restaurants and venues. Whether we’re talking about an established neighborhood favorite or your cousin’s new pop-up market, I want to do everything I can to remove barriers to success while also developing ways to help them thrive. My life is a testament to the power of small businesses to lift people out of poverty; I want nothing more than to make that a reality for as many San Antonians as possible.
I list those as my top three priorities, but to be clear, residents can look forward to a lot more than just these efforts. For example, I am also exploring ways we can make the District 1 City Council Office more accessible to residents. Residents deserve an office that meets them where they are. Part of my vision is to give residents an opportunity to meet with their council office where they already frequent: their favorite coffee shop or park, for example. Residents can expect more news about this effort later this year.
