The race to replace District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez is coming down to a runoff between a former chief of staff to Mayor Ron Nirenberg and a conservative attorney who served on the city’s Ethics Review Board. 

Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, the Nirenberg chief, took 40.33% of the vote. Paula McGee, the attorney, took 22.22%. 

With no candidate taking at least 50% of the vote, the top two finishers advance to a June 7 runoff.

Realtor and landlord Sakib Shaikh, who had been a top fundraiser and benefitted from big spending by an education-focused PAC, missed the runoff by 77 votes.

San Antonio’s City Council District 8 encompasses the city’s far Northwest side, north of Loop 1604.

In the final stretch of a heated race, Gonzalez was attacking realtor Shaikh for unpaid taxes, while Shaikh in turn accused Meza Gonzalez of monetizing her City Hall connections through lobbying work.

District 8 candidate Ivalis Meza Gonzalez reviews polling numbers with campaign manager Laura Barbarena. Credit: Shari Biediger / San Antonio Report

At her watch party Saturday night, Meza Gonzalez, who ran unsuccessfully for Bexar County Judge in 2022, seemed grateful to have moved past the conflict.

“We listened to residents and residents felt like they were part of this campaign,” said Meza Gonzalez. “And that’s really the most important thing, is that residents feel like we’re listening to them.”

Shari covered business and development for the San Antonio Report from 2017 to 2025. A graduate of St. Mary’s University, she has worked in the corporate and nonprofit worlds in San Antonio and as a...

Andrea Drusch writes about local government for the San Antonio Report. She's covered politics in Washington, D.C., and Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, National Journal and Politico.