Edward Mungia led San Antonio’s City Council District 4 race with nearly 57% of the vote. The former council staffer will now represent the city’s Southwest Side for the next four years.
This is the first time since 2019 that District 4, which covers much of San Antonio’s Southwest Side, will select a new council member.
Longtime Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia announced she was running for mayor in August and later endorsed Mungia, her staffer, out of the five candidates seeking to replace her.
Mungia told the San Antonio Report on Saturday night that he is feeling really good about the win, and added he feels it was a fair, clean race that he enjoyed because it allowed him to meet not only a lot of his new constituents, but also his fellow candidates.
“There were a few of us who were out there at the polls every day just laughing and having a good time together,” he said. “It was great getting to know them as well, because we all care for District 4.”
Mungia was trailed by Jose “Pepe” Martinez, a trucking company owner who held about 15% of the early vote totals, and Johnathan Cruz, a principal at McNair Middle School who had about 12% of the vote.
The District 4 ballot also included Ernesto Arrellano Jr., a former South San Independent School District trustee, who took almost 8% and Gregorio De La Paz, a construction manager and Marine veteran, who took 7%.
According to the latest campaign finance reports released last week, Mungia led in fundraising with over $25,000 raised through April 23.
Four candidates participated in a recent forum hosted by the San Antonio Report, where candidates seemed to largely agree on the most pressing issues in the district: illegal dumping, stray animals and homelessness.
They differed sharply on how to address these problems, however — and on whether the district’s former leadership has done enough.
Mungia largely defended the district’s progress on some of its persistent problems under Rocha Garcia and said he was inspired by her work, while his three present opponents argued it’s time for new leadership.
“District 4 will not just be defined by our problems. We are in District 4, in this building,” Mungia said at the time, pointing to the Tech Port as an example of the type of project that’s being attracted to the South Side.
Getting voters more engaged in the district is also a big goal, he said, adding that a lot of constituents say they are not aware of the resources available to them.
Mungia said he hopes to help continue Rocha Garcia’s legacy, especially when it comes to building out better services and health care options for District 4.
“One of the major initiatives she did is the CHEST initiative, which aims to bring hospital and health services to the South Side of San Antonio,” he said. “That work is crucial to extending the lives of San Antonians.”
