David Sherwood Hill is an Air Force veteran who owns his own artificial intelligence company and graduated from Harvard’s business school.
Hear from the candidate
1. Please tell voters about yourself.
I’m Dr. David Sherwood Hill, age 66, a High Quality Leader and business builder who lives in San Antonio, Texas (Bexar County). I live now and grew up in Precinct 2. I went to Holmes High School. I began my undergraduate education at the US Air Force Academy, then earned a BS in civil engineering from Texas A&M University. I was a 4- year Lettermen in Division 1 NCAA Football, and started all 4 years for varsity, on a full- ride scholarship.
I later completed Harvard Business School’s AMP and earned both a master’s degree and a doctorate in organizational leadership science at Our Lady of the Lake University, where I developed the High Quality Leadership® framework.
Professionally, I’ve spent decades leading teams, building organizations, and advising executives on leadership, operations, and performance. I’m an entrepreneur and founder of multiple ventures focused on helping people and organizations execute with clarity, character, and measurable results. My specific skill set is leading others, and inventing things, and taking current technology such as artificial intelligence (of which I am an expert founder in AI businesses) and train others in the usage of AI “for the good of society”). I know I can utilize AI to help many of Bexar County’s issues, as well!
Please remember this: Dr. David Sherwood Hill. David “Sure Would” Hill. David SURE WOULD get Bexar County into the 21st century!
2. Briefly describe your top policy priorities, or the top issues motivating you to run for office.
My top priorities are simple: public safety, efficient government, and results that improve daily life for families and small businesses in Bexar County – bringing Bexar County into the 21st Century.
First, I will support strong law enforcement and common-sense public safety policies so residents can live, work, and shop without fear.
Second, I will fight for responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars—clear budgets, measurable outcomes, and transparency so citizens know what they’re paying for and what they’re getting.
Third, I will push practical infrastructure and service improvements that move the county into the 21st century: better roads, smarter processes, faster response, and modern technology that reduces waste and improves service delivery. I’m running because I believe government should be run like a high-quality operation: clear priorities, accountability, and real results—not excuses.
3. Bexar County is currently committed to helping three major downtown redevelopment projects: The Spurs Sports and Entertainment District at Hemisfair, the Missions’ Minor League Baseball stadium district in Northwest downtown, and the expanded rodeo grounds on the East Side. What would success look like in those projects? And what outcomes are critical to avoid? How do you think the county is doing in terms of balancing investments in the urban core with the needs of the county’s more rural residents?
Success means those projects become safe, vibrant, financially responsible districts that (1) grow the tax base, (2) create good jobs, (3) strengthen small businesses, and (4) leave surrounding neighborhoods better—not burdened. I’d define “success” with clear, public scorecards: private dollars leveraged, total cost vs. budget, on-time delivery, infrastructure readiness (roads, drainage, utilities), public safety outcomes, and measurable local economic lift.
Outcomes we must avoid: cost overruns, vague or shifting scopes, “sweetheart” deals that privatize upside while taxpayers eat the risk, long-term operating subsidies that never end, and displacement of residents or legacy small businesses without real mitigation. We should also avoid traffic and parking failures that frustrate residents and harm nearby communities.
On balancing urban-core investments with rural needs: downtown can be a strong engine, but the county must protect the basics everywhere—roads, drainage, public safety, and core services. The best approach is transparent prioritization: a clear capital plan that funds rural infrastructure needs on a predictable schedule while ensuring major urban projects meet strict ROI, accountability, and neighborhood-impact standards.
4. County leaders have struggled for several years now to come together on their shared spending priorities, including removing projects that are unlikely to be completed from the county’s capital plan. With federal pandemic funding that’s buoyed past budgets drying up, how do you think the five-member court should prepare for the fiscal cliff Bexar County is expected to hit in 2028?
The court should prepare now by treating 2028 like a known deadline and building a disciplined, multi-year plan that doesn’t rely on one-time money to fund ongoing costs.
First, we need a true baseline budget: separate recurring operating expenses from one- time projects, and publish clear performance metrics so residents can see what is working and what isn’t.
Second, we should “right-size” the capital plan—remove or pause projects that are unlikely to be completed, re-scope others, and rank what remains by safety, legal mandates, infrastructure needs, and measurable return on investment. Third, the court should adopt guardrails: conservative revenue assumptions, a healthy reserve policy, and “no new ongoing spending without a funding source.” Fourth, we should modernize operations to reduce waste—better procurement, technology that improves productivity, and accountability for departments to hit targets.
Most importantly, the five members must act like a leadership team: agree on a small set of priorities, commit to transparency, and make tough tradeoffs early—so taxpayers aren’t hit with surprises later.
5. Bexar County is the only local taxing entity with a road and flood control line item on its portion of the tax bill. After one the most deadly flood years in almost three decades, what do you think the county should be doing to address flood safety?
Flood safety should start with a simple promise: protect lives first, then protect property, and do both with measurable results. The county should prioritize the highest-risk zones using data—recent loss history, drainage capacity, low-water crossings, and repeat- flood neighborhoods—and publish a transparent project list with timelines, budgets, and expected risk reduction.
Next, we should accelerate “high-impact” mitigation: improving drainage channels, upgrading culverts, detention and retention projects, strategic buyouts where repeated flooding makes areas unsafe, and targeted improvements to low-water crossings and warning systems. We also need faster maintenance and inspection cycles for ditches, inlets, and key choke points—because a clogged system can turn a heavy rain into a tragedy.
Finally, we must coordinate tightly with the city, SAWS, TxDOT, and flood districts so projects connect end-to-end and dollars aren’t duplicated or wasted. Success looks like fewer rescues, fewer road closures, fewer repeat-flood claims, and clear public reporting showing the county’s road and flood-control tax dollars are reducing risk year after year.
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Meet the candidates running for office in Bexar County in 2026
