It’s time to head to the ballot box! While the calendar and thermometer say it’s summer, please don’t forget to make your voice heard and vote in San Antonio’s run-off election. The election takes place Saturday, June 8th, deciding who will serve as San Antonio’s mayor, as well as city council positions in Districts Two, Four, and Six.
Early voting in the San Antonio mayoral and city council run-off elections begins Tuesday, May 28 and runs through Tuesday, June 4. All voting locations are closed on Sunday, June 2. The general election will take place on Saturday, June 8, with polls open from 7:00 A.M.–7:00 P.M. that day. If you want a reminder to vote, ILoveSanAntonio.org will send you a reminder email.
Not sure if you’re registered to vote or need a list of polling locations? You can check your registration and find polling locations at Bexar County Elections Department. During early voting, you can vote at ANY early voting location in Bexar County, so pop by one that’s convenient for you. And bring your kids so they understand how important it is for us all to vote! By the way, even if you didn’t vote in the general election, you can still cast a ballot in the run-off, so you can still make your voice heard.
ACMB appreciates that our readers want more information about the candidates vying for the office. During the general election, ACMB emailed all parties who filed as candidates for mayor and offered the opportunity to run a short piece speaking directly to our readers. The responses are included below and were not edited by ACMB. Run-off candidates are listed alphabetically.
Greg Brockhouse: No response.
Ron Nirenberg:
Being a parent today is tougher, I think, than ever.
I find myself having to answer questions from Jonah that my ten-year-old self would never had contemplated. These include quandaries about the safety of our water supply, of our schools, and of our neighborhoods. They also include some uncomfortable discussions about Internet safety, bullying and unhealthy relationships. Sometimes, my heart flutters with pride if I think I did a good job, other times it races with concern when he still looks puzzled. And often, time seems to stop altogether when my mind gets lost in self-reflection.
I suppose that is our burden to bear today, during a time when our children will get answers to their questions regardless of our willingness to share them. It is, after all, the information age – hours upon hours of answers to anything.
This makes it hard for parents, I think, to put off these conversations for too long, since ultimately, our kids will get someone to answer them. In many ways, this has been my experience in governing our city these last two years as your Mayor. I have found that our community also needs to have some crucial conversations, and I’m not willing to put them off either.
No doubt you’ve heard that we are a highly income segregated city. Historical research shows us that this is due in large part to historical, systematic underinvestment in certain parts of our community. That was a conversation I was willing to have openly and, as a result, we are the first major American city to use equity as a basis for budgeting our limited public resources. Now, other cities are starting to think this way, too, noting that San Antonio was the catalyst. It started with fixing streets and roads and is now a way in which we can also address housing, social services and even educational inequities.
I will continue to push forward with this ideal of all people deserving a quality life in San Antonio, no matter which part of town, which is why I am excited to bring the Alamo Promise to our city. The Alamo Promise is simple: every student — no matter their circumstances— should be free to pursue their full potential and we all benefit when they do. And in the 21st century, this promise requires an advanced degree or skills training. It’s time to remove barriers to a higher education with tuition-free community college for qualifying students in Bexar County. This investment—minimal in comparison to so many other things we do as a community—will leverage federal funding, public-private partnership and a last dollar scholarship to cover the cost of tuition at the Alamo Community Colleges District, recently named the top community college district nationwide. The Alamo Promise is not only a smart investment in San Antonio’s economy and our future but is the moonshot to reduce generational poverty and boost social mobility.
And, because I am married to a self-described “Latina mother,” I’m also having conversations about what kind of jobs we want to attract and develop since that could mean our son “comes back home” to mama. Though a well-meaning demand from my wife, this is also one of those topics that warrant constant dialogue. It is not enough to create jobs if they are only going to be minimally impactful to our families’ success. We must be thoughtful and plan around sectors that will bring us an edge in building industries of the future: cybersecurity, information technology, bioscience and healthcare, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
Today I’m proud to report that San Antonio is stronger than ever. We have created more than 40,000 new jobs in the last two years, our unemployment is below the Texas and the national average, we’re ranked 4th out of the top 100 metros for economic growth and considered as a top destination for Millennials and the workforce of the future.
We are also one the most attractive places to raise a family and start a business and reported to be the best community for veterans and Boomers to work and retire.
No one would argue that San Antonio is perfect, but everyone would agree that working together on a single mission to create high-paying jobs and the strongest, most equitable economy in the country is a conversation we are having today and one I will continue to champion in the future.
There are countless other conversations that I know we still need to have. That is why I continue to hold Ask Ron sessions every Wednesday for anyone to ask me questions and that is why I show up at schools with Kid Town Halls every month.
Most recently, my office, along with our female council members, finally had a conversation about what we owe women. We crafted and passed the SA Women’s Equity Resolution aimed at creating policy and support plans around women’s health, women’s safety and women’s economic mobility. Women represent over half of our city’s labor force, and ensuring that they feel safe from domestic violence, have access to crucial health resources and are encouraged to grow their businesses, is something I feel needs to be at the forefront of many of our discussions. Research shows us over and over that when the female head of a household is empowered, they also empower their families. In many ways, the answer to some of our questions is dependent on the well-being of San Antonio women.
