This article has been updated.
Bexar County voters will choose among a handful of candidates with extensive public policy backgrounds to fill two at-large seats on the San Antonio River Authority’s 12-member board of directors.
The contest is on the Nov. 7 ballot, which includes a slate of 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution as well as a handful of elections in Bexar County municipalities. Early voting began Monday and will continue through Nov. 3.
The San Antonio River Authority board manages the San Antonio River watershed, helping develop policies on water quality, flood control and overall health of the river and its environs. It consists of two at-large members from Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad counties, and one member for each of the river authority’s four districts in Bexar County. The authority’s jurisdiction covers 3,658 square miles.
The river authority’s budget is funded through property taxes at a rate of 1.80 cents per $100 of assessed value. Its adopted budget for fiscal year 2023-24 is $389.6 million.
Voters will select two of five candidates, including two former City Council candidates, multiple candidates with water management backgrounds, and one parks and wildlife advocate.
The river authority is introducing a new term system this election cycle, so the candidate who receives the most votes will serve a four-year term, while the runner-up will be granted a two-year term, said Katye Brought, communications manager for the river authority. The variation in term lengths ensures that no more than half the board is up for election in a single cycle, she said.
In ballot order, the five candidates are:
Joseph “Joedy” Yglesias
Corpus Christi native Joseph “Joedy” Yglesias is an LGBTQ and environmental activist who has lived in San Antonio since 2008.
A U.S. Navy veteran, Yglesias served in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Italy and Iraq filling such roles as a department chief, diversity action officer, master linguist, cryptologist and expeditionary warfare specialist.
After retiring from the Navy in 2019, Yglesias turned to nature to recover from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I started exploring our state and parks more frequently — like almost on a weekly basis, and just reconnected with nature and with running water,” Yglesias said.
He became a guide for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is certified as a Texas Master Naturalist and Waters Specialist. He has also served as co-chair of the environmental advisory committee for the river authority and has been a ranger at Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Yglesias serves as an outings leader for Latino Outdoors and acts as a consultant for the river authority, the National Park Conservation Association and The Nature Conservancy.
“It seems like a natural progression for me to go from the environmental advisory committee into the board of directors,” he said.
Patrice Melancon
Patrice Melancon spent 33 years in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserves, where she reached the rank of brigadier general. She’s the sole proprietor of CWG Consulting, a project management consulting firm that specializes in water resources, flood control and construction.
“I spent 15 years working in the private sector for a consulting firm using my master’s degree in water resources engineering to come up with solutions for water supply, flood control, water distribution, wastewater collection and stormwater collection issues for municipalities and river authorities in Central Texas, so I have that experiential base,” Melacon told the Bexar County Republican Women at an event last week.
Melacon has worked as the Air Force’s executive director of natural disaster recovery, as the director of joint space ops center consolidation for the Air Force, and as the watershed engineering department manager for the San Antonio River Authority.
“I’m familiar with the organization with how it operates, and also how the River Authority works with their board direction,” she said.
Melacon has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and a master’s degree in water resources from the University of Texas.
She represented District 10 on the City of San Antonio’s Drainage Committee for the 2022 municipal bond.
“I’m running because this is the one office that I know I am very qualified for,” she said.
Dan Rossiter
Dan Rossiter is a computer scientist who spent nearly 10 years developing transportation technology at the Southwest Research Institute. He served on the city’s Streets, Bridges and Sidewalks Community Bond Committee for the 2022 bond.
He ran for the District 7 seat on City Council earlier this year, losing to Marina Alderete Gavito in a runoff.
Rossiter is the sole proprietor of Rossiter Realty, a real estate holding and rental management business. He has served on the board of directors for Brooks, as president of the Thunderbird Hills Neighborhood Association and was a founding member of the San Antonio Mobility Coalition’s Emerging Mobility Technologies subcommittee.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from UTSA in 2013.
Flood management, he said, is the most crucial work performed by the river authority. He also would like to see increased intergovernmental collaboration between the river authority and other entities in the region.
“We need a proven leader with experience successfully managing tens of millions of dollars in publicly funded projects across the nation and delivering results right here in Bexar County,” he said. “I believe I’m uniquely qualified to serve, based both on my professional expertise and on my proven results collaborating with neighborhoods, elected officials, and public servants to repeatedly deliver substantial results.”
Joel Solis
Joel Solis is a native San Antonian who graduated from St. Mary’s University before starting his professional career as an engineer.
He moved to Washington, D.C., to work for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and recently retired as senior conformity assessment manager. During his time in D.C., Solis served as chair and executive secretariat on multiple national and international committees and led an international nonprofit with 300 members.
Solis has represented District 10 on the Building Standards Board and earlier this year ran for the vacant D10 City Council seat.
Solis told the San Antonio Report he is running for a river authority board position because he wants to see the river protected and cared for.
“I love Bexar County and the San Antonio River, which flows through its heart,” he said. “I know that together we can make a positive impact on our community.”
Liza Gonzalez Barratachea
Liza González Barratachea has worked for multiple San Antonio City Council members, served as a budget and policy advisor to former Gov. Rick Perry, and spent nearly 10 years as the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce’s vice president of public affairs.
She was first exposed to water policy while working for then Councilwoman Bonnie Connor (D8), who championed protections for the Edwards Aquifer.
Barratachea went on to serve as president of the San Antonio Hotel and Lodging Association. She also served as a community liaison during the formation of San Antonio’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, helping disseminate information about the plan to various community organizations.
“I’m very fortunate to have worked with political and civic leaders on both sides of the aisle,” Barratachea told the San Antonio Report. “Water of course is a nonpartisan necessity and has always been a critical priority to the people of San Antonio.”
Having grown up on San Antonio’s West Side, Barratachea said she’s particularly interested in the river authority’s work with the Westside creeks, which are poised to receive significant federal funding for revitalization efforts.
“I think that will change the face of the West Side, and all of that portion of the community that can be engaged with the San Antonio River that hasn’t been historically,” she said.
If elected her priorities would include safety and flood prevention, along with cleanliness and public access to enjoy the river.
Those ideas are “not necessarily all connected to what I have advocated for in the past,” Barratachea said. “But I believe that I have the experience to collect important information and opinions from all parts of the community and be an advocate for those stakeholders, for the betterment of the river authority in our community.”
