As San Antonio voters prepare for the upcoming May 3 election, the bigcitysmalltown podcast has focused its latest episodes onto the crowded and heated mayoral race.
Host Bob Rivard sat down with six of the 27 mayoral candidates to talk about their campaigns, issues such as affordable housing, education and public safety, and city developments such as Project Marvel.
Rivard, a longtime columnist and opinion journalist, ended the series by endorsing Beto Altamirano for mayor.
Here’s what each candidate has to say about the future of San Antonio.
Beto Altamirano
For the Rio Grande Valley native, the city’s heritage and culture are a unique value that he says will attract economic growth and opportunity.
“We have to tell the story of San Antonio,” Altamirano says in episode 114 of the bigcitysmall town podcast. “Who we are … What makes us so unique.”
Altamirano learned the value of hardwork growing up in a bi-cultural and bilingual household and “… just fell in love with this concept of understanding how as a citizen you can influence policy outcomes. If you get involved, you have a voice in the public policy making process.”
Responding to criticism about being one of the candidates who has yet to serve on City Council, Altamirano tells Rivard, “… I don’t think that the ‘wait your turn’ politics should define momentum today in public service across the country … At this stage in my life I know what I’m good at. I’m a good executive. And those are the entrepreneurial skills I want to bring to city hall.”
Early in his campaign, Altamirano set out on a listening tour to hear directly from San Antonio residents about various issues. Out of this tour came Plan 210, a policy framework that focused on economic development, infrastructure and public safety.
Check out the full conversation with Beto Altamirano below:
Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia
Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia believes that San Antonio’s next mayor should be prepared to deal with economic uncertainty, telling Rivard, “We need someone to jump day one with experience and not miss a beat.”
Born in the city’s most impoverished ZIP code, Garcia is grateful for what help she’s received from her community — willing to spend an entire lifetime to reinvest in the community.
As the president of the San Antonio Housing Trust, Garcia is focused on keeping housing affordable for residents across the city, especially downtown. With funding form the last housing bond, the organization was able to approve and produce more than 7000 units, she said.
Garcia believes it’s critical to focus on getting another housing bond on the ballot as soon as possible.
Community input is also a priority, especially on the issues of economic empowerment and health care.
Garcia says, “We have to start doing the planning now to make up for the years or the lack of investment.”
Check out the full conversation with Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia below:
Melissa Cabello Havrda
The San Antonio native is always eager to learn more about her city. In the role of mayor, communication with the city is key.
“… In my book, I don’t expect people to come to me, I’ve gotta go to them,” she says in podcast episode 116. “So, you knock on doors. You make phone calls … You go to where people are.”
Speaking about Mayor Ron Nirenberg, she agrees that his heart is in the right place and “he wants the best for San Antonio. And I think he makes his decisions based on that love for our city.” But she wants a more in-depth public input process when it comes to issues like crime, housing and public safety.
A part of her time on City Council, she hears many complaints about ongoing construction projects impacting small businesses. One local restaurateur “just yelled at us. It was jarring.”
Havrda proposed and passed a Responsible Bidder Ordinance that would allow more responsible contractors to bid on city projects, ensuring they don’t fall behind or go over budget.
Havrda also believes that the city should be more innovative in the realm of public safety, having enough, well-equiped police officers available, focusing on mental health and installing better lighting in crime heavy areas of the city.
Check out the full conversation with Melissa Cabello Havrda below:
Gina Ortiz Jones
On episode 117 of the podcast, Gina Ortiz Jones tells Rivard that she plans to move the city forward with a dedicated plan for her first 100 days.
For one, she wants to tap into the talent already here in the city, saying, “… I think a leader’s number one job is to develop more leaders. And at times, that requires knocking down barriers that don’t make sense.”
As an out lesbian and a person of color, Ortiz Jones faced barriers while she was in the U.S. Air Force. Serving as the Under Secretary of the Air Force under the Biden Administration years later, she says she challenged herself “to be the leader that I wished that I would’ve had as that young cadet.”
Ortiz Jones says she wants to look into SAISD and NEISD campuses that have been recently closed to make changes that would meet the needs of the community, including with the expansion of Pre-K 4 SA.
Check out the full conversation with Gina Ortiz Jones below:
Manny Pelaez
Althought he isn’t a San Antonio native, Councilman Manny Pelaez has deep roots when it comes to public service and economic development. Unapologetically, he has also elevated the conversation about domestic abuse in the city.
When asked about balancing the responsibilities as mayor and continuing his job as an attorney, Pelaez says “Absolutely, you cannot.” Along with his partner, Pelaez has structured his law firm, whose engine is run “by women” to work steadily without him.
Willing to fight for his city, Pelaez says that San Antonio’s next mayor should be a “wartime mayor”, and he plans to bring a ferocity and zeal to the role, if elected.
When asked about changing the requirements for candidates to run for mayor, Paleaz says that candidates should “do the work first” in communicating their neighbors and be allowed on the ballot if they gather 1,000 signatures from registered voters.
His thoughts on Spurs and Project Marvel are that the sports team has been a reputation enhancer for the city, offering the value of city morale and pride.”… We do need to return downtown to San Antonians,” he says, and the investment of a new downtown arena would do that.
Check out the full conversation with Manny Pelaez below:
Rolando Pablos
Rolando Pablos says that he sees San Antonio sitting on the sidelines, but that the city’s best days are ahead.
Large companies focus on local government, available workforce, infrastructure, and quality of life in cities, Pablos says, and San Antonio isn’t “reaching the threshold for acceptance.” Therefore, these companies are choosing other Texas cities.
He plans to improve the attractiveness of the city. “A mayor needs to go out in the world and sell San Antonio,” Pablos tells Rivard. The issue of city construction projects frustrating small businesses, is one of the many things that need to be improved.
On working to improve the city’s poverty issue, Pablos says “the root condition of poverty … is education. The inability to educate our kids.” As mayor, he plans to spend time in Austin lobbying for changes. Schools should deliver quality education.
Check out the full conversation with Rolando Pablos below;
