As Councilman Manny Pelaez terms out of the District 8 spot on San Antonio’s City Council next year, several residents are eyeing the chance to represent the Northwest Side as Pelaez eyes the mayor’s seat on the dais.
That district’s race, which will be on the May 2025 ballot, is shaping up to be particularly interesting.
Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, the former chief of staff of Mayor Ron Nirenberg who previously ran to become Bexar County judge in 2022, told the San Antonio Report that she is “definitely running” and will launch her campaign in April.
Sakib Shaikh, a realtor, landlord and small business owner who briefly worked for the councilman in 2017, has declared his candidacy and started fundraising for his campaign this month.
Meanwhile, Family Violence Prevention Services President and CEO Marta Pelaez, the councilman’s mother, said she is seriously exploring the possibility of throwing her hat in the ring.
Both districts 8 and 9 have incumbents finishing their tenures next year, and Councilman John Courage (D9) is also running for mayor as Nirenberg — who represented District 8 before Pelaez — also terms out.
The list of City Council vacancies may grow if other council members ultimately decide to run for mayor.
District 8’s southernmost boundary is north of Loop 410 and east of Interstate 10, but it balloons northward, cradling the City of Shavano Park in the east, meeting the City of Helotes to the west outside Loop 1604 and stretching north along Interstate 10 bordering Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis to reach Fair Oaks Ranch.
The district includes the South Texas Medical Center, USAA, the Shops at La Cantera, the University of Texas at San Antonio’s main campus, Eisenhower Park and a portion of Phil Hardberger Park.
It’s home to the highest concentration of refugees who live in San Antonio and has long been one of the most diverse in terms of ethnicity, religion and socioeconomic status.
Ivalis Meza Gonzalez
Meza Gonzalez, 42, was born and raised in San Antonio and has lived in the district for about 14 years. That has allowed her to develop a keen understanding of her neighbors’ concerns, she said.
“I think the top issues are always going to be public safety and infrastructure,” she said. “Most residents want to make sure that our neighborhoods are safe, that our kids can play outside and that we can … return home from work and feel safe when we get home.”
She currently works as a consultant for Andrade-Van de Putte and Associates, a policy and business management consultancy firm founded by business leader and former Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade and former state Rep. Leticia Van DePutte, who lost a bid for mayor in 2015.
Meza Gonzalez comes from a politically active family. Her mother was Democratic organizer Choco Meza, who managed local, state and national campaigns. Her brother, Danny Meza, served as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) and was a senior advisor in the U.S. Department of State.
“That desire to serve is part of who I am,” she said. “I’m absolutely rooted in that and raising my kids the same way.”
She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UTSA and a law degree from St. Mary’s School of Law. Meza Gonzales was named 2021 Woman of the Year by the San Antonio Business Journal for her work during the coronavirus pandemic.
“How we responded to that pandemic I think says a lot about our community,” said Meza Gonzales, who also played a key role in organizing the mayor’s housing policy task force and the SA Climate Ready Plan.
She received nearly 19% of the 2022 Democratic primary vote for Bexar County judge. Now she’s looking forward to diving in to meet the needs of District 8’s neighborhoods, she said, rather than the entire county.
“Neighborhood leaders … can always tell you when we’re working at our fullest potential [and] when it’s not going well,” she said. “Having those conversations is extremely important to me and that’s what I want to focus my time on.”
Sakib Shaikh
Shaikh, 39, is likely among the first Muslim candidates — if not the first — for a City Council office in San Antonio (election applications submitted to the City Clerk’s office do not ask for religious affiliation).
“It just shows you how the district is changing and how someone from a different perspective can come and feel at home here,” he told the San Antonio Report last week.
Born in Houston, Shaikh has lived in District 8 since his family — who immigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan — moved here in 2000 looking to expand their convenience store business in Boerne. He studied around the world through a University of Virginia program before earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from UTSA and a master’s in international relations from St. Mary’s University as well as attending coding and web development boot camps.
The city’s two largest mosques are in the district and Shaikh previously served on the Muslim Children Education and Civic Center‘s board of trustees.
He was one of many members of the community who lobbied council members to support an Israel-Hamas ceasefire resolution that Pelaez ultimately quashed, but Shaikh’s decision to run for office was made long before that, he said.
“It was painful to hear ‘no,'” from council on the resolution, he said.
As for whether he wants to revisit the issue, Shaikh said that, by the time he would take office next summer, “it looks like there’s going to be a ceasefire anyway,” he said. “We have to move on, we have to find other ways” to support the community.
“I’m not interested in politics, I’m interested in policy,” he said. “I feel like I have a stake in this community. … I’m just an average citizen and I want to have a say in what the future looks like.”
Shaikh said he wants the community to start planning for that future.
“I feel like there’s no master plan for the district,” he said. “That might be by design. That might be because at different times priorities [changed]. But I want more greenery, I want more walkable sidewalks, I want more lighting, I want more beautification.”
Typically campaigns for council seats are launched after any ongoing primary or general elections, but Shaikh said he wanted to get a jump start on fundraising.
Though he worked in constituent services for only six months before he was let go by Manny Palaez’s office, it was “the best job I’ve ever had in my life. … I love people, I’m very social, and using the resources at my disposal to help people was the best job.”
Ultimately, Shaikh said, the direction of the office changed and he wasn’t “needed at that time,” but he has no lingering animosity toward the councilman.
Marta Pelaez
Rumors surrounding Marta Pelaez’s potential entry into the race started swirling last year.
She told the San Antonio Report last week that she has indeed been floating the idea with community stakeholders including her staff at the Family Violence Prevention Services shelter and her family — though not so much with the councilman.
“My son and I have not had a very lengthy conversation [about it],” she said, other than to understand the time commitment that being an effective council person takes. “It’s extremely humbling to be mentioned as a contender for the position. It’s a very important decision. … I’m not making any announcements now.”
Marta Pelaez came to the U.S. from Bogotá, Colombia, when she was 16 years old. She has a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso. She’s been a leader at the nonprofit Family Violence Prevention Center for 25 years and has lived in District 8 for more than 35 years.
Representing District 8 would “certainly be a natural extension of the community service work I’ve been doing,” she said. “If I were to jump in, it’ll be because … I see an opportunity to keep the district on the right path, to make it stronger, definitely safer and to protect its most important asset … the neighborhood quality of life.”
Last year, Marta Pelaez was an outspoken critic of the progressive public safety reforms called for in Proposition A, which was deemed unenforceable by the city attorney and which her son, several of his council colleagues and voters resoundingly rejected.
“Taking on the council job would be … a very interesting proposition,” she said.
She’s confident that if she were to end up on the dais with her son as mayor, they could maintain their individual identities and opinions.
“Independence of thought is something that we always welcome,” she said. “There may be situations where I will absolutely be in disagreement. And the same with him.”
Marta Pelaez said the timing isn’t right for asking voters to pay attention to municipal races.
“They should be focused, laser-sharp, on deciding the political direction that the country should have,” Marta Pelaez said, referencing the May 28 primary runoff and the November presidential contest. “Attention should primarily be given to what’s happening federally.”
Who will Manny Pelaez endorse?
Reached last week, Manny Pelaez declined to comment on the slate of candidates.
“I’m not going to comment on any possible candidates until there is a complete field of candidates about which to comment. It wouldn’t be fair to the other candidates for me to weigh in,” he said via text.
“My advice to any candidate is to remember that it is all about the neighborhoods,” he added. “A D8 council race isn’t just about one’s interesting ideas. It’s about getting neighborhoods interested in the ideas you are bringing to the table. If you can’t get traction in the neighborhoods, yours will be an exercise in political futility.”
Correction: This article has been updated. Councilman John Courage represents District 9.
