Gavito, 41, has worked in management positions at Rackspace and USAA. Most recently, she served as executive director of SA Digital Connects, a public-private partnership focused on addressing the digital divide in San Antonio.
Hear from the candidate
The following questions were asked of all City Council candidates.
Please tell voters about yourself.
I was born and raised in District 7, near Bandera and Hillcrest. My first job was as a lifeguard at Gilbert Garza Pool and have memories of running with teammates at O.P. Schnabel Park. Today, my husband and I take our daughters on walks around Woodlawn Lake, near our home. I earned my BBA from St. Mary’s University and an MBA from DePaul Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. In my career, I’ve worked at local corporations such as Rackspace and USAA. Most recently, I served as executive director of SA Digital Connects, where we worked to address the digital divide. My strength is building great teams to address problems efficiently and effectively. Over the years I have been investing in my community by using my skills and experience to serve on nonprofits and boards. My intent is to use my business experience and community leadership experience to best serve residents.
List any previous experience in government or participation on local boards, commissions, or neighborhood associations.
- As the former executive director of SA Digital Connects, we partnered with the city, county, state, and federal governments to bring funds to expand internet access to low-income and rural areas.
- Vice chair of VIA board of trustees, where we oversaw a $300 million budget and worked to secure additional long-term funding for our city’s public transportation system
- Vice chair of the Bexar County Child Welfare Board, where we piloted programs to reduce child abuse in our city and county
- Vice president of the Woodlawn Lake Neighborhood Association
- San Antonio Airport Systems Development Committee (mayor’s appointee)
- UTSA College of Engineering and Design Advisory Committee
- Ella Austin Community Center board
- Tech Bloc board of directors
- St. Mary’s University Alumni Association board
- Leadership San Antonio (LSA) Class 40
I have never run for elected office before.
What three issues do you consider to be most pressing for your district and how would you address them?
Safety and security — I am proud to be endorsed by the San Antonio Police Officers Association because they see me as a leader who can address the safety and security concerns we have in our area. Throughout District 7, neighborhood associations let me know how much they appreciate the relationship with their community’s SAFFE officer — building upon that is a priority for me. There is also a growing concern about the increased homeless population. We all want to treat our homeless with compassion and connect them to the help and services they need. I also do not think it is compassionate for us to be OK with homeless people in our drainage ditches and on the sides of roads where cars are flying by them at 50 to 60 mph. We need to learn from cities such as Seattle, Austin, San Francisco and not make the same mistakes.
Accountability and transparency to city services — I want to ensure that residents are informed on the status of projects going on around them: a street repair, zoning change, park update, etc. Right now our City Council offices communicate through newsletters and while effective, there are additional ways we can ensure neighbors have a good sense of what is going on around them. This goal also includes ensuring residents have access to the District 7 office. Whether it’s by phone call, text, email, website, social — I want to ensure residents know and feel that the Council office is accessible.
Infrastructure improvement — Add sidewalks where kids can walk safely to school, implement speed control measures in areas that need it and address Bandera Road, which is a pain point for so many District 7 residents. Bandera Road would take partnership from Leon Valley, TxDOT and the City of San Antonio to move this project forward.
Do you support the proposed city charter amendment, known as Proposition A or the Justice Charter, that would bar certain policing tactics, decriminalize abortion and low-level marijuana possession and create a city justice director to oversee criminal justice policy? Why or why not?
I do not support Proposition A. A full explanation is listed on my website and I also included helpful articles, podcasts, etc. so that residents can research this issue on their own.
While I agree with the intent of long-term justice reform, I have concerns with this proposal. I have met with Act 4 SA, law enforcement and residents, and read the ballot language. The issue for me is that even though cite and release is currently in place, further expanding cite and release AND removing police officers’ discretion to make an arrest or citation is an issue. We should not be micromanaging our police officers.
How do you feel the city has done at balancing the needs of downtown and the neighborhoods, from bond projects to budget priorities?
I believe the city has done a solid job with the recent budget and bond packages to address the needs of both neighborhoods and downtown. Three of the five priorities outlined in the city budget, with input from the community, are property tax relief, infrastructure and public safety. Recently, we have seen the city’s property tax rate decrease, a move I greatly support.
The most recent budget shows a $904.8 million investment in public safety and an allocation of $116.6 million toward public works. Moreover, our Capital Improvement Plan, funded in part with bond money, invests 48.9% of the total dollars into street and drainage projects. I think these investments address the needs of both downtown and neighborhoods and as councilwoman, I will continue to fight for District 7 priorities and listen to my constituents for their priorities.
If elected, how do you plan to solicit input and feedback from residents in your district?
It is a top priority for me to be accessible to all residents. I will be soliciting feedback through neighborhood association meetings, community events and resident meetings, and I will continue block-walking. Campaigning has shown me how much I love to talk directly to residents so I plan to do a ‘hey, checking in on how things are going’ knock on neighbor’s door.
And as mentioned above, I will work to continue to ensure all residents have access to the District 7 office in the communication medium that works for them. Whether it is a phone call, text, email, website, social or newsletter — our job is to be available and accessible — and I will make sure the team and I are doing just that.
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