Aside from electing a new mayor, San Antonio’s City Council is also headed for a shakeup this year. 

Four longtime members are running for mayor this year, creating crowded races to represent their soon-to-be vacated council seats. The remaining six incumbent council members all face contested reelection races, and all 10 City Council seats will appear on the May 3 ballot.

Visit the San Antonio Report’s 2025 Voter Guide to learn more about all 59 City Council candidates.

Early voting runs April 22 through April 29 for the May 3 election. If no candidate takes at least 50% of the vote in a race, a runoff between the top two finishers will be held June 7.

City Council Districts 4, 6, 8 and 9 will elect someone entirely new this year to replace council members Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4), Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6), Manny Pelaez (D8) and John Courage (D9), who are all running to replace term-limited Mayor Ron Nirenberg. 

The San Antonio Report hosted debates in each of these races, where you can watch the candidates lay out their vision for the role and their approach to key issues facing their district.

Remember, voters approved longer terms and a pay raise for the council and mayor during the November election, so this year’s winners will have four years to implement their vision for the city, instead of two, before they have to run for reelection. Council members elected this year will also get paid $70,200 per year, instead of the $45,722 current council members make.

Here’s a look at what’s going on in each of San Antonio’s 10 council races.

The San Antonio Report’s election guide draws from candidate questionnaires, the Secretary of State’s office, campaign websites, original reporting and other news sources to provide information on the local races you might otherwise not hear much about.

District 1 candidates

First-term Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) faces nine opponents in a race that’s become particularly heated this year, with rivaling neighborhood groups, scorched-earth political consultants and pro-business interests all weighing in. 

Kaur pulled off an upset victory in 2023, defeating an incumbent to represent an important downtown- and near-Northside district that’s been home to nearly all of the city’s recent major development projects. 

She brought a business perspective and centrist approach to the dais, but struggled to build a steady team in her office. She’s currently on her third chief of staff.

The district now includes some neighborhoods that were previously a part of Northside District 9, and one of those former D9ers, Patty Gibbons, was the first to challenge Kaur this year, citing concerns about urban housing density encroaching on legacy neighborhoods. 

The race now includes a number of candidates motivated to run by their personal experience fighting city projects in District 1, like VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Green Line, the new Missions’ Minor League Baseball stadium and a proposed NBA arena.  

Hear from the full list of District 1 candidates in our 2025 Voter Guide.

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 1 candidates are:

District 2 candidates

Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) one of two Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed candidates elected to the City Council in 2021. Known for his outspoken progressive views, he earned a speaking slot at the Texas Democratic Convention last year. 

McKee-Rodriguez drew nine challengers in 2023, but was reelected with 56% of the vote. 

Hear from the full list of District 2 candidates in our 2025 Voter Guide.

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 2 candidates are:

  • Sean Hanlin, who is self-employed
  • Stephanie Powell, an Air Force civilian employee
  • Carla-Joy Sisco, an information technology business relationship manager
  • Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, a former math teacher and staffer to the previous District 2 councilwoman
  • Bryant Livingston, a mortuary attendant and football announcer
  • Kizzie Thomas, the principal at Essence Preparatory Public School
  • Sonya Moore, who lists her profession as “unemployed”
  • Rose Requenez Hill, a neighborhood leader who co-founded D2 President’s Round Table, a coalition of District 2 neighborhood groups, and ran unsuccessfully in District 2 in 2023

District 3 candidates

Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran (D3) was first elected in 2021, succeeding her sister Rebecca Viagran, who represented the district for eight years.

Hear from the full list of District 3 candidates in our 2025 Voter Guide.

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 3 candidates are:

  • Kendra Wilkerson, a teacher
  • Phyllis Viagran, a former elementary school teacher who previously worked for SAPD, the city’s tourism advocacy group and a nonprofit focused on older adults
  • Kenneth Thomas, a production associate
  • Larry LaRose, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard and ran unsuccessfully in District 3 in 2023

District 4 candidates

When Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4) threw her name in for mayor in August, longtime District 4 staffer Edward Mungia, who worked under both Rocha Garcia and Rey Saldaña and served on South San ISD’s board, was among the early candidates to launch a campaign to replace her.

Mungia is now campaigning on his years of experience — in a race with other candidates who say the city’s Southwest side is being left behind. 

Watch the candidates participate in the San Antonio Report’s District 4 debate.

Hear from the full list of District 4 candidates in our 2025 Voter Guide.

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 4 candidates are:

District 5 candidates

Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5) was among the new progressive voices elected in 2021. Her Westside council district reelected her with roughly 63% of the vote in 2023, and she drew just two challengers this year.

Hear from the full list of District 5 candidates in our 2025 Voter Guide.

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 5 candidates are:

  • Pablo Arriaga III, who works for the San Antonio Police Department and was endorsed by the police union
  • Teri Castillo, a former teacher and housing organizer before she was elected to the council
  • Raymond Zavala, who is retired and has run unsuccessfully for mayor in the past

District 6 candidates

Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6), who has represented the far West Side since 2019, announced in December that she would be leaving the seat to run for mayor. 

The 8-way race to replace Cabello Havrda includes candidates with significant City Hall experience, as well as several energetic newcomers with progressive backgrounds. 

It’s one of the few races where neither the police union nor the fire union have endorsed a candidate.

Watch the candidates participate in the San Antonio Report’s District 6 debate.

Hear from the full list of District 6 candidates in our 2025 Voter Guide.

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 6 candidates are:

  • Vanessa Chavez, a former district director in D7 who also worked for the city’s Neighborhood Housing Services department
  • Kelly Ann Gonzalez, a progressive political organizer who worked for the union representing city employees and was endorsed by Cabello Havrda
  • Ric Galvan, a District 5 projects manager and progressive political organizer endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America
  • Carlos Antonio Raymond, a retired veteran and federal government employee who ran for the Texas House as both a Democrat and a Republican
  • Chris Baecker, an economics professor and leader in the activist group InfuseSA, which tracks city officials’ activity 
  • Bobby Herrera, who represented District 6 in the 1990s, lost the seat amid several scandals, and ran unsuccessfully again in 2019
  • Gerald Lopez, a former Northside ISD board member who now serves on the Alamo Colleges Board of Trustees
  • Lawson Alaniz-Picasso, a former District 1 staffer who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in Bexar County’s Precinct 1 last year

District 7 candidates

Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) emerged from a crowded race in 2023 to represent this near West Side district, which has been a political launchpad for council members in the past. 

She brought a loaded corporate resume and endorsements from pro-business groups, and has spent much of her first term focused on addressing problems at the city’s Animal Care Services Department. 

Hear from the full list of District 7 candidates on our 2025 Voter Guide.

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 7 candidates are:

  • Marina Alderete Gavito, who worked in management positions at Rackspace and USAA, and served as executive director a public-private partnership focused on addressing San Antonio’s digital divide 
  • Cynthia Lugo Alderete, who has a degree in theology and is the CEO of Deep Grace Ministries
  • Trinity Haddox, a first-time political candidate and stay-at-home dad

District 8 candidates

The expensive race to replace Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8) has attracted some of the most attention among council races this year, with candidates jockeying to represent the Northwest San Antonio district as early as last March. One potential contender, Pelaez’s mom, Marta Pelaez, decided not to run.

In the final weeks leading up to the election, two of the race’s top fundraisers have been attacking one another over unpaid taxes, a “fabricated” ethics complaint and accusations of influence-peddling. 

Watch the candidates participate in the San Antonio Report’s District 8 debate. 

Hear from the full list of District 8 candidates in our 2025 Voter Guide. 

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 8 candidates are:

  • Sakib Shaikh, a realtor, landlord and small business owner who briefly worked for Pelaez in 2017
  • Cesario Garcia, a conservative activist and former TV journalist who has run unsuccessfully for a seat on the City Council in the past
  • Cindy Onyekwelu, a software engineering contractor who most recently worked for the Air Force within Port San Antonio
  • Rodney “Rod” Kidd, an entrepreneur with a background in technology and logistics
  • Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, a former chief of staff to Mayor Ron Nirenberg who previously ran for Bexar County judge in 2022
  • Paula McGee, an attorney who served on the Zoning Commission and the city’s Ethics Review Board

District 9 candidates

Though council races aren’t partisan, District 9 is regarded as one of the most conservative-leaning council districts, long represented by Councilman John Courage (D9), who ran for office many times as a Democrat before serving on the council.

This year conservatives are eager to elect one of their own in the race to replace Courage, while local Democrats have rallied around a potential successor. 

The seven candidates running debated issues like water conservation, affordable housing and the city’s so-called “equity lens” budgeting at the San Antonio Report’s District 9 debate. 

Hear from the full list of District 9 candidates in our 2025 Voter Guide.

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 9 candidates are:

  • Angi Taylor Aramburu has a background in public relations and nonprofit arts management.  She’s a fitness entrepreneur who ran as a Democrat for Texas House District 122 in 2022, and was endorsed by Courage in the council race.
  • Emily Joy Garza owns a permanent cosmetics company and is an animal welfare activist.
  • Daniel Mezza worked as a district director for former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-Helotes) and as a regional director for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). He owns a coffee company and has been active in the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
  • Misty Spears is a longtime litigation paralegal who ran for District Clerk as a Republican in 2022. She currently serves as a constituent services director for Bexar County Commissioner Grant Moody (R-Pct. 3)
  • Celeste Tidwell is a former Democratic precinct chair who has run for office before in District 10. The San Antonio native worked as a directory assistance operator for Southwestern Bell.
  • April Chang has a background in medical sales. She’s currently a nonprofit leader whose foundation created the inclusive playground Mitchell’s Landing.
  • Tristen Hoffman is a Johnson High School senior who plans to study economics.

District 10 candidates

Councilman Marc Whyte (D10), the council’s lone conservative, had a rocky start with a DWI arrest months into the job.

While he may have appeared vulnerable after the 2023 arrest, he’s raised more money than even many mayoral hopefuls and kept his loyal base of Northside neighborhood leaders on board.

Hear from the District 10 candidates in our 2025 Voter Guide. 

Listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot, the District 10 candidates are:

  • Anthony Roy II, a business owner whose company focused on event ticketing, including selling eclipse glasses
  • Marc Whyte, an attorney who served on the city’s Zoning Commission and previously ran for a seat in the Texas House as a Republican
  • Clint Norton, who is retired
  • Mark O’Donnell, a business consultant with a background in telecommunications
  • Eric Litaker, a chef with more than 15 years of experience in San Antonio’s service industry

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.