Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff officially endorsed Mayor Ivy Taylor’s run for re-election in the 2017 mayoral race Wednesday. Councilman Ray Lopez (D6) and other community leaders joined Wolff for the announcement on the steps of City Hall.
“I’ve seen her leadership up close, I’ve seen her take on many difficult issues, and I’ve had the honor to work with her on a number of joint projects,” he said.
Wolff listed several joint projects between the City and County, such as the forthcoming Tricentennial celebrations in 2018, the San Pedro Creek Improvements Project, and the formal naming of the Spanish-colonial Missions and the Alamo as World Heritage Sites, which culminated in a trip to Bonn, Germany, with Taylor.
Wolff added that he and Taylor collaborated on providing greater public safety through the Criminal Justice Planning Council and setting the stage for SA Works, a public/private workforce development coalition, and are currently working to bring Major League Soccer (MLS) to San Antonio
“And now we are looking … to the future (to see) what we should do about air service for San Antonio and the possibility of a regional airport,” he said. “For those reasons, and for the leadership that she’s provided this city, I encourage every voter to vote for Mayor Taylor. We need to … make sure that she is elected again … to continue this great work that we’re all doing to make San Antonio a better place to live.”
Taylor took the podium and said she was “honored” to have Wolff’s endorsement.
She commended Wolff’s leadership in the arts, justice reform, and health care, and also touched on the topic of future developments for the San Antonio International Airport.
“We recognize that our cultural vitality and our long-term success in generating success are tied to the strength of our international airport,” she said. Making air service in San Antonio more convenient and affordable for travelers, Taylor added, is also on her to-do list.
“Cities don’t just luck into prosperity, they have to plan for it and they have to strive for it – there is no other way,” she said. “As a former mayor and now as our county judge, Nelson certainly gets that it’s about working together, which is why I am so proud to have his endorsement.”
When asked about Councilman Ron Nirenberg (D8)’s and Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Manuel Medina’s possible run for office, Taylor referred to both as “an interesting development.”
“I welcome anyone who is interested in offering something to the citizens,” Taylor told reporters, adding that she offers “solutions, not sound bites.”
Reacting specifically to Medina’s possible run, Taylor emphasized that San Antonio’s city government is nonpartisan. Medina has not formally announced his candidacy, but commented that it was “going in that direction.”
Nirenberg is set to make a “special announcement” on Dec. 10. “I know there has been a lot of speculation about that and about my future and my view on the direction of the city over the last year,” Nirenberg told the Rivard Report Friday. “That’s why we scheduled this announcement – so we could finally put all those rumors behind us.”
Taylor said she looks forward to continuing her service in leadership as Mayor of San Antonio.
“I feel my chances are very strong,” Taylor said “I’ll be communicating to voters again about my record of achievement, accomplishments, and leadership that I’ve provided and I am confident in the voters’ analysis of that.”
