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A Look at San Antonio's Municipal Elections

RBearSAT — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:39:06 GMT

Just like almost every other municipality in Texas, San Antonio is in the early voting stages for citywide elections scheduled for May 11th.

These elections really exemplify the late Speaker Tip O'Neill's famous adage "All politics is local." It just doesn't get more local than voting for your city council member or school board trustee. Yet, these elections also seem to draw the lowest voter turnouts across Texas. In San Antonio, while presidential election years will draw 60-65% of the voters, muni elections often draw no more than 5-10%, even in hotly contested years. But even with those low numbers, the drama of the races is no less. So how do the races look on the muni ballot?

Find out below the jump!
Looking across the ballot at the city council races, the drama isn't at the top but in three or four of the council districts. So let's survey the landscape to see what's in store for San Antonio voters.

Mayor
There's really no surprise in this race as Mayor Julian Castro is seeking his third term as mayor, the first mayor offered this opportunity since term limits were extended to four two-year terms in 2008. Castro drew no strong challengers in the race, but will face the normal slate that always seems to run every two years.

Castro's popularity with San Antonio voters will probably fend off any challengers during his tenure on council. While many have speculated about higher office for the nationally popular mayor, he's expected to complete all four terms, building the foundations for his SA 2020 plan. During the last general election, Castro was able to convince voters to pass a 1/8 sales tax to fund his Pre-K for SA program. Most insiders speculate his next term or two will be focused on economic development, including the creation of Cafe Commerce, a small business incubator housed at the city's Central Library.

District 1
Diego Bernal, council member for the city's central and oldest district, was the only council member to draw no opponent. Even so, Bernal staged a campaign kick-off and has been running a different kind of campaign of outreach. After citywide redistricting, District 1 shifted into new areas of the city formerly held by the more conservative Northside districts. Recognizing some of the voters in these areas might not know their new council member, Bernal has been using this opportunity to reach out to them just as if he were asking for their vote.

District 2
Ivy Taylor is the current council member for the district, traditionally an African-American district. Taylor is vying for her third term on city council and has drawn three opponents to her bid for re-election. Taylor's last term has been focused on creating economic development in the Eastside, especially with the increased presence at Fort Sam Houston as a result of the military's medical consolidation. Taylor's most notable opponent is from Norris Tyrone Darden, who recently stepped down from his position at the George Gervin Academy to run for the office. While Darden doesn't have a problem with Taylor's term in office, he said more focus is needed on community needs, citing more workshops or community meetings as a possible path to solutions. Taylor received the Express-News' endorsement for re-election.

District 3
In D3, Councilwoman Leticia Ozuna is opting for her first full term as an elected council member. Ozuna entered City Council in January, 2012, when she was appointed by City Council to complete the unexpired term of Jennifer Ramos, who left council in December, 2011, to challenge Sergio "Chico" Rodriguez for his position on the County Commissioners Court. Ozuna was selected by council over two other candidates, Rebecca Viagran and Terry Boyd, both who had strong community support. Viagran is one of Ozuna's challengers in the May election, along with Gabriel Velasquez, an urban design professional.

This race is one of the hot races in the city, focusing on community support in the Southeast side district, as evidenced by the line-up of familiar community names in the endorsements for the candidates. Ozuna has been viewed as a visionary on city council and garnered the endorsement of the Express-News for this vision. However, both Viagran and Velasquez point to the lack of community involvement by Ozuna, especially regarding her handling of the rezoning of the Pecan Valley Golf Course for apartments. For that reason, this race will be too close to call and could potentially end up in a runoff.

District 4
When the 2011 election season opened, most City Hall insiders had given the race for District 4 to Leticia Cantu, a veteran council staffer and fiance of former D4 council member Phillip Cortez. What shocked many political pundits was the tenacity and rise of Stanford graduate Rey Saldana. Saldana match Cantu financially and gained widespread community support, thanks in large part to the army of volunteers recruited from his high school graduation class.

On election night, Saldana stood proudly in the middle of young, sunburned poll workers to claim the seat with a 13 point margin over Cantu. Since that election, he has maintained that community focus, with his biggest project being the development of Pearsall Park on the Southwest side. Saldana's Facebook page is often updated with statuses of ride alongs with Animal Control and SAPD, or his joining cadets at the Fire Academy in the grueling fitness tests. The inside joke about Saldana is that the city not only picked up a young council member but also a new employee.

But even with this popularity, Saldana didn't escape drawing a challenger, another young upstart in the political scene. Joseph "JoeJo" Savage, at 22 the youngest member of the South San ISD school board, has challenged Saldana, only four years his senior. While Savage's win on the South San board might be impressive, he seems to be having problems keeping the record straight on his credentials, including his true academic standing at UTSA. Regardless, with Saldana's track record to this point, it's hard to imagine him not being re-elected to a second term.

District 5
Outside of the mayor's race, District 5 has the largest field of candidates in the most economically challenged district in the city. Current council member David Medina is vying for his third term in office but has been plagued by his attendance record at council meetings. A run-in with SAPD over an incident involving his father and sister last year appears to be part of a long string of similar kinds of incidents by the councilman.

Medina has drawn a field of five contenders with a wide variety of occupations. It's hard to really pick a front-runner from this field, each having their own strengths and weaknesses. I blog about the lack of real visionary ideas from the field after a COPS/Metro Alliance candidate forum. One that seems to be emerging above the rest of the field is the only female in the race, Shirley Gonzales. Gonzales has drawn not only the support of the Express-News in its endorsement, but in that of Choco Meza, former Bexar County Democratic Party chairwoman. Gonzales has a strong interest in the area, writing about her move into the Prospect Hill community in the Rivard Report.

With such a large field of candidates, this race will probably move to a run-off, most likely with Medina and Gonzales facing off against each other.

District 6
District 6 is considered one of the fastest growing districts in the city, fueled by affordable home prices and increased economic development in Westover Hills, growing over 30% since 2001. Only Districts 8 and 9, both Northside districts, grew at a greater rate. Councilman Ray Lopez, a retired AT&T executive, has represented the district for the past two terms, coming in with the mayor in 2009.

Seeking his third term, Lopez has three challengers for his seat. Being one of Castro's key soldiers in carrying the Pre-K for SA message and a strong proponent of downtown development, he can count on the mayor's support for re-election. Greg Brockhouse, former chief of staff for Councilman Saldana, probably will give him the most challenge for the seat, with most of the criticism of Lopez being his lack of attention to the district at the expense of the mayor's initiatives. Even so, the campaign has only experience minor campaign jabs being thrown.

Counting on the mayor's support and a strong war chest, Lopez will most likely be elected to a third term.

District 7
District 7 is a district where personal relationships can often mean more than anything else. A tightly knit district centered around the Monticello neighborhood, the Deco District, and Jefferson High School, it has been the launch pads for two mayors, Ed Garza and Julian Castro.

Councilman Cris Medina is running for his second term, drawing three challengers, including one from the last election. In 2011, Medina came in 2 points short of avoiding a run-off and beat former council member Elena Guajardo, who edged out Dr. Gloria Rodriguez by half a point for the second place spot.

Rodriguez has returned to take on Medina, along with two other challengers. While Medina has maintained a low key tenure on the dais, his bigger challenges have been in the district, notably a series of pedestrian fatalities that led to his Safe Streets initiative. His dismissal of his appointee to the city's powerful Historic Design and Review Commission has also drawn the fire from Rodriguez, who said that, if elected, she would reappoint Bianca Maldanado to the commission.

But these issues will probably not stir D7 voters to vote for change in the district, most likely giving Medina his second term in office.

District 8
In what is probably the hottest race in the municipal election, three challengers will be vying for the open seat, resulting from popular council member, Reed Williams, exiting. Williams has built a reputation of not only addressing constituent needs, even to the point of handing out his cell phone number, but in also bringing his years of executive management in the oil and gas industry to critical decisions at City Hall. Williams is the no-nonsense, common sense council member everyone wishes they had.

But, after two terms on council, he decided enough is enough and announced his plans to not seek another term in December, giving candidates a chance to announce their intentions and get to know the voters. With his exit, three candidates have entered the race for what is considered the most ideologically neutral district in the city. In the 2012 election that included a presidential race and a voter initiative to support a 1/8 cent sales tax increase to fund the mayor's Pre-K program, voters in the district voted 53% for Romney and 51% against Pre-K. The margins for the district were some of the tightest in the city.

Digging deeper into the district, over 2/3 of the voters reside west of IH-10 and tend to vote more moderate, opposed to the voters on the east side which are as conservative as neighboring District 9. While city council is a non-partisan body, these days partisan ideology seems to enter into just about every political entity, and District 8 is no different, resulting in one of the campaign issues raised by one of the candidates.

When looking at the three candidates, it's very easy to see that Michael Kueber aligns with a conservative, libertarian viewpoint. A retired attorney from USAA, he ran in the 2010 Republican primary challenge Francisco Canseco. Reading his blog, you can gain a better understanding of his ideology. If there's one thing you can say about Kueber, he's probably the most transparent of the three candidates, a refreshing perspective in today's politics.

Ron Nirenberg, an associate general manager at Trinity University's KRTU radio station, probably leans more moderate than anything. He voted for the mayor's Pre-K initiative, something many in San Antonio consider as an ideological indicator, and advocates for more socially moderate positions. However, he also believes in fiscal conservative on some issues, as indicated from his candidate questionnaires.

But it's hard to pin down the positions of Rolando Briones, a civil engineer and the third candidate in the race. He hasn't answered any questionnaires, is a frequent no-show at candidate forums or panels, and avoids answering press inquiries on several matters. Frankly, and this is my opinion, he seems to resemble the politics of Rick Perry but without the incumbency of the office.

Briones has also been the subject of several ethical issues exposed by the Express-News, including his dismissal from SAWS and an apparent violation of the city's ethics code regarding the award of a $500,000 contract.

But Briones campaign is probably one of the most heavily funded campaigns in the city, aside from Mayor Castro's campaign. With the ability to outspend Nirenberg almost 3 to 1, Nirenberg resorted to the next best thing, create an alter-campaign on Briones' record at rolandobriones.com, including his noted shift in political contributions. But, possibly to change the tone of the election, the site is now gone after Nirenberg's commitment to take it down at an HOA forum.

That negative tone is one of the reasons Councilman Williams decided to jump into the race, endorsing Briones after stating he would probably remain out of the race. Williams had said all along that as long as the campaign remained on a positive note, he would prefer the voters decide the best candidate and avoid putting his name behind a candidate. Williams' endorsement would give any candidate a strong advantage with his popularity with D8 voters.

This race will be too close to call and could even come down to a run-off if both Briones and Nirenberg hold even. Kueber could garner enough votes to push the two into a run-off if that were the case.

As a note of disclosure, I personally endorsed Ron Nirenberg at my blog, Concerned Citizens.

District 9
Councilwoman Elisa Chan is running for her third term, representing the most conservative district in the city. District 9 voted 64.4% for Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election and 55.6% for Ted Cruz as senator. Chan's has had some challenges during her term on council, including dealing with a zoning issue about a Walmart across from Hardberger Park and most recently, the purchase of a property for a library adjacent to property her engineering firm owns.

Chan's only challenger is by a former employee of her council staff, Jason Salinas. Salinas' primary reason for challenging Chan is "because there was nobody else running." Chan is expected to be re-elected to her third term in office.

District 10
Carlton Soules is D10's current council member, having been elected to City Council in 2011. A noted conservative and numbers guy, he has often questioned city staff on the fiscal matters and works to hold the line on the city's budget. Most notably has been his push for more accountability and fiscal stewardship on the city's recycling program.

Soules has drawn two challengers, one of which seems to challenge anyone in that area of the city. Art Thomas has been a candidate for TX HD-121 (Speaker Straus' district) in 2008 and 2012, TX SD-25 in 2010 (the seat formerly held by Jeff Wentworth and currently held by Sen. Donna Campbell), and the San Antonio River Authority. He also serves on the state Libertarian Party's executive committee.

Soules' solid track record on council and his popularity in the conservative leaning district points towards another term on council.

You can view the candidates' answers to the Express-News questionnaire and the San Antonio Current questionnaire.

Some redistricting proposals are out

RBearSAT — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:36:33 GMT

Today Michael Li, a Dallas attorney who has been heavily involved in the Texas redistricting process, put out the latest information of proposed maps and reasoning by interested parties to redistricting. As you probably know the redistricting maps proposed by the 82nd Texas Legislature have been challenged in court by several parties, primarily Hispanic interest parties such as LULAC, MALC, and the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force. While some may think redistricting will force all sorts of challenges in November, as the Texas Tribune notes, the real challenges will be in March when candidates in the two parties will decide who will potentially win the district. Very few of the districts were drawn as competitive and "only six of the 150 House districts were won by one party or the other by less than 10 percentage points." Monday was the deadline for proposals to be submitted by interested parties. So how did those proposals look?
While I am no redistricting expert, in looking at this there are some key things to note when considering new districts, especially in a state like Texas. With a growing Hispanic minority population, many of the old conventions need to be reviewed to make sure the state reflects the demographics as accurately as possible. Remember that when drawing geographic district lines, a small geographic segment could have substantial demographic impact on the makeup of the district. Picking up an neighborhood or a particular street in a neighborhood could change the entire ethnic balance of the district. So let's dig into a few of the proposals. BTW, you can look at any one of the proposals by using the Texas Legislature's District Viewer. Just put in the current proposal (C185) for the Base and any one of the maps for the Overlay.

Austin wants a single district
One of the biggest challenges in drawing the new districts has been what to do in Travis County. Austin is a growing city with an annualized growth rate of around 2.0% in recent years. Austin proper currently has a population close to 800,000 people. Travis County has a population of over 1,000,000 based on the 2010 census, making it one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Based on current projections, Travis county is expected to double in population by the year 2025. Both Travis County and Austin are well within the ideal district size of 698,488 per the legislature's redistricting office. It would make sense for both Austin and Travis County to have a single member representing the area. However, due to the predominantly Democratic make-up of the area, Republicans have adopted a fracturing approach and split the county up into five different congressional districts as I noted in a blog entry.

One of the proposals submitted by a group commonly known as the Travis County Plaintiffs would adopt a map (C166) proposed by Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin) that moves CD25, currently held by Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin), completely within Travis County and moves CD35 to another part of the state, eliminating the current Doggett-Castro battle underway for CD35. A few of the points in their brief state that this map would have 28 of the districts having precisely the ideal population and the other 8 districts having a variance of less than 1% of ideal. It also meets several of the court criteria including the first Gingles factor that "a minority group must be sufficiently large and geographically compact to comprise a majority of the district."

Canseco looks out for his buddies
Rep. Francisco "Quico" Canseco (R-San Antonio) currently represents CD23, a district that starts in San Antonio and runs along the southwest corner of Texas all the way to El Paso. The DOJ recently contested some of the districts proposed in the new map, singling out CD23 (and CD27 also) as underperforming in its ability to elect a Hispanic candidate of choice based on "racially polarized voting." While the district has elected Hispanic candidates of choice in 2006 and 2008 the DOJ did not feel that with the proposed changes this trend would continue. Currently the district sort of does a "hand grip" around the western edge of San Antonio. In the proposed plan that grip would still exist but the district would include Frio, most of LaSalle and parts of Atascosa couties and less of Bexar County.

Since the DOJ submitted its letter and the court expressed concerns about the district, Canseco submitted his own proposal and maps (C209 and C212) to redistricting to address the concerns. In doing so, Canseco also addressed a concern by Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (R-San Antonio) who felt the proposed maps did injustice to his district. More specifically Gonzalez took issue with the fact that the Alamo and downtown San Antonio were no longer in his district and now in the new CD35 district. Based on Canseco's maps, he got Charlie's back and engineered a bizarre gerrymander that gave downtown, the Alamo, and King William back to CD20. In fact, Canseco's only reasoning for this change is because Gonzalez objected.

His proposed still includes CD35 pretty much as it was proposed by the Legislature with the changes in Bexar County to cover Gonalez's issues. It still supports the Doggett-Castro battle by doing nothing to Travis County, thus supporting contentions that state Republicans are trying to redistrict Doggett out of a job. According to Li "The maps also would make changes to Congressman Canseco's district by placing Maverick County wholly within CD-28 and putting the Harlandale ISD wholly in CD-23- in each instance also in response to concerns expressed by the court at trial. The maps also make several what Canseco terms concessions in order to try to 'obtain agreement by both Democrat and Republican members of the Texas congressional delegation.' According to Canseco, these 'concessions' include splitting Nueces County to preserve distinct communities of interest."

Hispanic parties and gerrymandering
Finally we have the district proposed by several Hispanic interest groups such as LULAC, MALC, and the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force. While the proposals do make changes in the Austin/San Antonio area, they don't exhibit the amount of gerrymandering you'll find in the DFW area where some of the districts are no wider than five blocks. I joked in one blog comment that you might even find an image of the Virgin Mary in one of the districts.

MALC's plan (C211) retains the boundaries of CD35 but calls it CD34 instead. It also reduces the Travis County footprint and moves more of Doggett's current CD25 west of IH-35. In an interesting spin, MALC seems to also give Gonzalez some love and moves downtown San Antonio, the Alamo, and King William back into CD20, following the same path as Canseco's (do you see a trend here?). CD35 moves up to Dallas/Tarrant counties and that's where the gerrymandering goes on steroids. It's almost impossible to make out the districts which seem to follow some pretty bizarre paths, especially in Tarrant County.

The Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force proposal retains CD35 but pretty much takes it out of the core of San Antonio, giving that and some of the northeastern part of San Antonio to CD20. That resolves the Gonzalez "mine" (imagine a kid with a toy box) issue by just kicking CD35 out of downtown entirely. It also takes in more of Guadalupe County. It still puts part of Travis County in CD35 but puts more of Austin in CD25, possibly giving Doggett a better chance in his current district. It takes Travis down from five districts to three districts in terms of representation. Looking at Dallas/Tarrant counties you have even wilder gerrymandered districts, including CD35 which appears to be five blocks wide in a few places.

Then there's LULAC's proposal (C208) which would eliminate the proposed CD35 and create a new CD35 in the coastal bend area. Within Bexar County it pretty much follows the current districts with the exception of cutting out the northeastern section of CD20, most likely to stay within the optimal district size. Probably in an effort to get as much opportunity for acceptance, LULAC submitted two other plans for the DFW area (C206 and C207). While the plans don't gerrymander too badly they still create some interesting maps in the area.

Are we there yet?
While these are interesting proposals they, once again, represent special interests or the interests of incumbents who really are only looking out for their own self-serving needs. Going over these maps one has to ask where the voter is in this entire process. To be honest, the voter's left out in the cold while the wonks and judges draw the lines. This process, in itself, further drives me towards pushing for a redistricting commission. At this point, I'm not sure how much passion needs to be placed in the race between Castro and Doggett. While I'm rooting for CD35 and Doggett's district to be improved for him, I'm not sure what to think based on these proposals. Let's just hope they get them drawn by the time primary season kicks in full gear.

San Antonio Votes 7-4 to Extend Domestic Partnership Benefits for City Employees

RBearSAT — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:41:40 GMT

Today, in a series of votes on the proposed 2012 budget, the San Antonio City Council voted to extend benefits for city employees in domestic partnerships. The final vote on the budget was 8-3 with DP benefits included after an amendment by Councilwoman Elisa Chan (District 9) to exclude the benefits failed 4-7. The benefits, estimated to cost around $300,000 per fiscal year, will go into effect during the city's next enrollment period. According to city staff projections, an estimated 30 employees would possibly take advantage of the benefits. Before city employees can qualify for the benefits, an affidavit must be signed and two pieces of documentation (joint lease or mortgage; joint bank account; joint credit card; jointly paid household expense, such as a utility bill, bearing both names; and documents showing beneficiary status of life insurance or will) as proof of the relationship.
Several citizens showed up in council chambers to speak on the matter, both Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Most of the speakers represented the religious community led by Pastor Gerald Ripley and spoke mainly of the religious issues associated with extending the benefits. Those speaking in support of the benefits, primarily from the LGBT community, cited workplace fairness and the need to extend the benefits to remain a competitive employer. Some of the opposition to the benefits threatened council members with a recall referendum if they chose to vote for extending the benefits. However, based on actions in El Paso where a recall effort against two El Paso city council members continues after being temporarily stopped by a judge.

After hearing around 3 hours of public testimony before the budget vote, Councilman Diego Bernal (District 1) submitted the motion to pass the budget with the benefits included at which point Councilwoman Chan offered her amendment motion to exclude the benefits citing financial and verification issues as primary reasons for not supporting the benefits. At that point each council member offered support or opposition regarding the benefits based on a number of things. Most in favor of extending the benefits cited fairness and the need to treat all city employees equitably as key reasons. Those opposed focused mostly on the financial aspects of extending the benefits, especially during tough economic times.

The final votes were 4-7 against Chan's amendment with David Medina (D5), Reed Williams (D8), Elisa Chan (D9) and Carlton Soules (D10) voting for the amendment and Mayor Castro, Diego Bernal (D1), Ivy Taylor (D2), Jennifer Ramos (D3), Rey Saldana (D4), Ray Lopez (D6), and Cris Medina (D7) voting against the amendment. The vote for the budget fell along the same lines, except for Williams who switched to vote for the budget following up on a promise to support his fellow council members should the majority be to extend the benefits.

Domestic partnership benefits hang in the balance of San Antonio's budget

RBearSAT — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:26:51 GMT

The City of San Antonio is in the final week of budget deliberations for its 2012 budget of over $2.2 billion. This coming year's budget exhibits much of the fiscal control that City Manager Sheryl Sculley has brought to the city, providing San Antonio with a AAA bond rating by all three rating agencies. While maintaining those constraints, the city's budget continues to help move forward in helping achieve the city's SA2020 goals, it does so without any property tax increase and modest fee increases for waste management and other Enterprise services. But for all the changes expected in the 2012 budget, one change that amounts to .014% of the overall budget is getting the largest public attention - the extension of domestic partnership benefits for opposite- and same-sex couples. Extending those benefits to city employees has brought to the forefront the divisions people still have over LGBT rights within the 7th largest city in the nation.
When Manager Sculley introduced the budget to council most expected the flack to be around arts funding after the stir caused by recent performances of "Corpus Christ," the controversial play depicting a gay Jesus Christ. After all, arts funding has always been controversial in San Antonio, a city that continues to foster a thriving arts community juxtaposed against a conservative religious community. Usually the organization taking the brunt of fighting is The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, a non-profit organization focused on civil rights. After a battle that started in 1997 that led to the Center's request being defunded and reinstated after a favorable ruling in a lawsuit, the group seems to be the perennial lightening bolt of the conservative community.

However, the battle seems to have shifted from the arts funding to what seems to be a more threatening issue for the conservative community. Led by City Hall gadfly Jack Finger and local pastor Gerald Ripley, a concerted effort is being waged to convince council members to pull the funding of domestic partnership benefits for city employees. While the district budget hearings didn't result in too many comments either for or against extending the benefits, a citywide hearing on had over 100 people registered to speak both for and against offering the benefits.

The estimated cost of extending the benefits amounts to around a $300,000 increase in the city's self-insurance funding and requires multiple documents to prove a couple is in a committed domestic partnership. The city feels that it is important to extend the benefits to not only provide parity for city employees but to also remain a competitive employer in a job market where many companies and cities already offer such benefits, including several major Texas cities.

Both sides have provided opinion pieces on the issue with Richard Farias, a local activist and board member of the newly forming Pride Center, focusing on the workforce parity and economic competitiveness aspects of the offering and Mary Ann Parks, director of Project Rachel, opposing the benefits primarily on religious grounds.

Citizens are being encouraged to contact their council members directly to provide input on their views. Citizens will also be offered a final opportunity to speak on the matter during the regular Wednesday night Citizens To Be Heard session at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers. Registration for speaking can be made online at the City Clerk's website at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning.

In San Antonio's District 4 it's the new breed vs. the old guard

RBearSAT — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:57:10 GMT

(Part of a series on San Antonio's municipal elections at Concerned Citizens.)

In my continuing review of San Antonio's municipal races I decided to take a look at District 4, currently held by Philip Cortez who will vacate this year due to term limits. The district sits in the southwest area of San Antonio and is sometimes overlooked when considering the future of the city. However, since it's next to the home of Toyota Texas it also could be considered the future when looking at manufacturing job opportunities due to the amount of undeveloped land and transportation access. Most were expecting Cortez's fiancé, Leticia Cantu, to take the seat until Rey Saldaña, a young Stanford graduate, turned in a financial report topping Cantu at the January 15th mark. So did this just become a competitive race and, if so, who are these two candidates?
District 4 sits just southwest of downtown along IH-35 heading towards Laredo. Within its boundaries are Lackland AFB, Port San Antonio, and it's adjacent to the Toyota manufacturing plant. It runs to the western edge of San Antonio in the Westover Hills area south of Seaworld. Palo Alto College sits in the southern area of the district and, until the new campus is completed, it also houses Texas A&M-San Antonio. Other than those facilities, the district is primarily residential and small business focused. Probably the most significant aspect is that it contains the largest areas of undeveloped flat land in the city at this point, prime candidates for manufacturing plants and jobs.

It's really the district with the most potential for growth in terms of skilled labor and manufacturing, one of the primary reasons Toyota decided to locate the plant in San Antonio. When jobs transitioned from the shutdown of Kelly AFB some moved to private ventures located in Port San Antonio. It's also the entry point to San Antonio from Mexico through IH-35, offering an opportunity to provide value added services to goods manufactured in Mexico and destined for US and Canadian markets.

Leticia Cantu is one of the candidates vying for Councilman Cortez's seat. Cantu is Cortez's fiancé and served temporarily in his place while he was deployed overseas with the Air Force. However, Cantu has been around City Hall prior to that service, having served on Councilwomen Lourdes Galvan and Mary Alice Cisneros' staff and has worked in Mayor Julian Castro's community office. Cantu has been involved in many projects throughout the city and seems to understand city policy and politics, mostly with neighborhood and constituency issues.

However, when looking at significant efforts in the district there's really nothing that stands out other than helping initiate and work towards passage of San Antonio's ban on texting while driving. There is also question of her path to the candidacy and following the term of her future husband, possibly creating a "dynasty of service" in District 4. In an article by Greg Jefferson in the San Antonio Express-News asked the question "Did she and Cortez ever discuss her interim appointment as a potential building block for a 2011 campaign?" Cantu answered that was not the plan but did aim to accomplish something during her interim term.

Cantu's tenure around City Hall and her close ties to several elected officials, including Mayor Castro, has helped raise her potential with the business community of San Antonio. At a December fundraiser the finance and host committee included almost a who's who of the San Antonio business community. It's no mistake that Fernando Reyes, a key supplier to Toyota Texas, would be her treasurer, bringing in many other business contacts across San Antonio. However, does this closeness also come at a price for District 4?

With this kind of support and experience you would almost immediately give the race to Cantu. Enter Rey Saldaña, an up and coming young Stanford graduate who was born, raised, and currently lives in District 4. Saldaña graduated from South San Antonio High School, was a baseball standout, and received an academic scholarship to attend Stanford University. After earning two degress, one in political science and the other in communications, he completed a fifth year master's degree from Stanford's School of Education.

Instead of carrying those impressive education credentials to some other market, Saldaña returned to San Antonio to focus on public service in his home community. His entry into the District 4 race was noted as early as September when former Express-News reporter Greg Jefferson reviewed the possible candidates in the race. Jefferson noted that many were hoping for a competitive race in the district and not ready to accept Cantu as the "anointed one."

Still, Cantu's fundraising and business community support seemed insurmountable until the January 15th finance reports came in. In those reports it was Saldaña who had the lead in fundraising by a narrow margin of $87, even after Cantu's big name event in December. As noted by Greg Jefferson at Plaza de Armas (pay wall) much of Saldaña's support came from outside the city, mostly from his Stanford buddies. Cantu's support lists San Antonio residents but mostly outside the district, including some PAC money. That type of list is typically what you would see on an incumbent's report.

Saldaña seems versed on public policy issues including the laundry list every candidate hauls out such better streets and sidewalks, crime prevention, graffiti, and stray dogs. But he also has an eye for more complex policy aspects such as educational funding and programs, understanding the budget of the city (I asked him what he did when not campaigning and he said "go home and read the city's budget"), and looking for creative opportunities to help the district.

Saldaña is weak on business needs and probably needs to reach out to several in the business community such as Toyota, Port San Antonio, and some of the smaller manufacturing interests in that area. It's an area he will need to become stronger in if he wants to be a leader on council. Too often many enter council coming from public service jobs and don't really understand the full aspects of representing a district. Councilman Reed Williams is probably the best example of someone who does present a well rounded council representation, most likely built from his years of business leadership.

So the question really becomes whether District 4 voters are looking at this election as a continuance of Philip Cortez's administration in Cantu or if they are looking for a change with a newcomer like Saldaña. Cantu presents a stable transition of office but probably much more of the same for the district. Saldaña presents a new vision but probably a very rocky start as council member, possibly leaving District 4 out of some discussions in City Hall.

Regardless, this is definitely a race to watch in the San Antonio municipal elections.

Correction: I mistakenly placed the Toyota Manufacturing Plant in District 4 when it is actually across the road from District 4 and resides in District 3. I misread the maps on this. Still, the point is valid that District 4 should be cognizant of the needs of Toyota due to the close proximity of the plant. But I'm the first one to admit a mistake. The blog has been updated to reflect a more accurate position.

San Antonio District 5 - Rematch+1

RBearSAT — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 22:39:44 GMT

(Part of a series on San Antonio's municipal elections at Concerned Citizens.)

One of the more interesting council races in 2009 was the match-up in District 5 between Lourdes Galvan and David Medina. Galvan had been expected to win the race as the incumbent. However, a tenacious David Medina fought a hard battle forcing the election into a run-off and winning by a mere 45 votes. Possibly feeling Medina as vulnerable for a rematch, Galvan is now challenging him to a rematch in the 2011 municipal election. As Gilbert Garcia points out in an article in Plaza de Armas this race will prove to be just as strong of a battle as 2009 was. But is it really going to be the same type election
This battle of D5 candidates started in 2007 after the seat became open when Councilwoman Patti Radle termed out after two terms on city council. Galvan, office manager for Radle, ran to fill her boss's seat and possibly continue the Radle's legacy in District 5. At that time a very young 21 year old David Medina attempted to win the seat, challenging Galvan in the election and forcing a run-off. Galvan missed the 50%+1 number by 148 votes. In the run-off Galvan was only able to pick up 29 more votes above her general election total. Medina, on the other hand, picked up 476 votes above his general total with most of the votes probably registered as anti-Galvan.

Galvan proved to be a tenacious council member, not afraid to challenge city staff as Garcia noted in his article. However, Galvan seemed challenged herself in really becoming comfortable in the office which may have been above her level of policy making. When 2009 rolled around Medina was back as a challenger along with a large field of candidates including one other from the 2007 election. During that race Medina once again forced Galvan into a runoff with a much tighter margin of 90 votes. In the runoff Medina's early voting numbers trounced Galvan who brought in more election day votes but not enough to overcome Medina's early voting lead.

Galvan has come back to challenge Medina in 2011 in what seems to be the ongoing battle of the district. Should Galvan win the election she will be limited to one term, having been elected as a council member under the old two-term rule. Medina has the luxury of being able to serve three more terms, winning the seat after council term limits were extended. Even with this limitation Galvan has decided to run, citing a lack of attention by Medina in the district.

At her campaign kickoff she cited several projects started under her term on council that were either cancelled or altered, including a Senior One Stop Center that was located on the edge of the district near King William. Galvan's position was that the center should have been located more centrally within the district. The location of that center in an abandoned HEB store created controversy in city council according to an article in the Express-News, with some citing a leasing cost around $45,000 more than similar centers in Districts 4 and 10.

Andro Herrera-Mendoza, a marketing instructor at Palo Alto College, has also announced for the race but may be overshadowed by the Medina-Galvan battle royale. Herrera-Mendoza has attempted politics once before, running for a position on the SAISD board according to an article in Plaza de Armas. But in such a contentious race between two long rivals it will be extremely critical to get his message above the rematch noise. After all, people really prefer political theater over substance in elections.

At this time Medina has a very minimal website for his campaign and neither of the other two candidates showing any web presence so it's very difficult to assess the candidate's positions on the issues. That will have to come as the campaign progresses and probably will come very slowly based on prior elections.

Looking at a more public aspect of the campaign, it's evident Medina is leading the pack in terms of finances. Medina's campaign finance report shows over $20,000 in contributions with much of the money coming from outside the district including out of state contributions. Galvan's finance report shows a little more than 10% of Medina's contributions so she will definitely have to make up ground in terms of fundraising if she plans to counter him in the race. Herrera-Mendoza's finance report is almost insignificant at this point and will have to drastically improve if he plans to be a contender in this race.

District 5 has never been known as a district that really digs into critical issues within the city. It's one of the poorest in the city, encompassing the Westside from the edge of downtown to Port San Antonio. It has two university campuses in the district - Our Lady of the Lake and UTSA's Downtown campus. Much of the district is driven by small businesses, ranging from local garages to family-owned restaurants. There are no major corporations located within the district with the bulk of Port San Antonio located just west of the district.

Based on the dynamics of this district and the candidates I can understand why there might be contention about serving the district. Many people probably do not take the district seriously due to the demographics and geographic location. Based on conversations with several connected with municipal government, Medina has been having a challenge finding his voice in council much like Galvan did during her term.

Comparing Galvan's finance report from the prior election to Medina's at this point it's evident that support for Galvan was starting to lose support from many in the business community. A prior report showed a much better picture of Galvan's supporters. Based on the reports Galvan will have to rely on support from the community to seriously challenge Medina in this election.

Her election results from 2007 and 2009 show a similar lack of support except by a committed base. That will have to change also to overcome the incumbent advantage. Voter turnout for the district is better than the city's average at 9.9% in 2009 compared with 6.78%, with some precincts logging voter participation in the teens.

So while this district serves a key part of the city, many of which are probably underserved, this race is really going to be more about political theater than substantive issues. I would prefer to think otherwise and hope I'm proven wrong and surprise. However, I just don't see that happening in 2011.

Race for District 1 should be a hot one in San Antonio

RBearSAT — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:10:56 GMT

(Part of a series on San Antonio's municipal elections at Concerned Citizens. I updated my original entry to reflect recent information.)

It's time for the municipal elections in San Antonio and 2011 should prove to be interesting. So that brings me to my home district, District 1. This district is where I predict all the fun will be had for the 2011 election cycle. Currently there are four announced candidates for the seat currently held by Mary Alice Cisneros, who terms out in 2011. Not only do I expect this district to be the hottest race in the munis it's also the one I'll be watching most closely since I live in the district. So who are the candidates at this point and what are their backgrounds?
Understand that at this early stage it's difficult to get a solid read on any candidate. However some key factors are starting to emerge about the candidates in the race that will probably give indication to their campaign strategies. Before I dive into the candidates you might take a read on a post I did about what I think makes a good D1 councilmember. In the post I try to outline the diversity and challenges any candidate might face running in the district and serving on council. I've also talked about a few issues

Chris Forbrich
Let's start with our returning challenger, Chris Forbrich. Forbrich mounted a pretty aggressive campaign against Cisneros in 2009, attacking the councilmember on a variety of community issues including management options for Market Square and La Villita. In the general election Forbrich was able to garner 39% of the vote but couldn't force Cisneros into a run-off.

Since that election Forbrich has remained in "campaign mode" and probably has the most organized and articulated views of any of the campaigns. In his District Plan he outlines many of his positions on a variety of issues. Some are motherhood and apple pie but others like bringing younger families back into District 1 and developing a San Pedro business corridor are more focused. While this gives Forbrich the early advantage it also might make him the most vulnerable since he has staked his position in the race, inviting targets by the other candidates.

Recently in an article in Plaza de Armas, a new media source in San Antonio, Gilbert Garcia wrote about the possibility of Forbrich garnering endorsement by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, speculating this could help Forbrich in an area where he is struggling - fundraising. I expanded further on Garcia's column by comparing the opportunity to that of Fort Worth Councilmember Joel Burns in an entry called "The Victory Fund Effect." If Forbrich can gain endorsement by the Victory Fund it could help provide him the necessary resources and organization backing needed for race that is predicted to be extremely competitive.

Ralph Medina
Ralph Medina, the retired SAFD District Chief, has announced his candidacy and has launched his website. Medina is a lifelong resident of District 1 so he should have an understanding of the needs. In the few meetings I've had with him Medina possibly could expand his knowledge a little more on the district's challenges but that should come as he gets out into the community. Medina's service as a San Antonio firefighter and District Chief gives him a good working knowledge of one key element in every campaign - public safety and first response.

But with Medina's period as a firefighter comes another aspect of special interests, one being the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association. This may not be a bad attribute but it does call into question some loyalty aspects. Will Medina be a true representative of the city in any discussions with the firefighter union or the police union?

Medina has started his campaign by enlisting a strong treasurer with Trish DeBerry. DeBerry's experience in several citywide campaigns is valuable and could help Medina in his quest for one of the most diverse districts in the city. I've always had a high respect for DeBerry's marketing insight and can see her putting that insight to work in this campaign.

One thing I did notice when researching this entry was Medina's first blog post. In it he talked about the desire to leverage Microsoft Sharepoint to help gain citizen insight in the district. I admire his initiative on this, as it echoes a goal Mayor Castro set in his mayoral campaign of virtual neighborhoods. It's something I blogged about after the 2009 campaign, detailing some aspects and examples I've found around the nation.

However, I think calling out Sharepoint specifically without a business case is something we in the I/T industry hate. It's a solution looking for a problem. Besides Sharepoint has pretty steep licensing costs depending on the configuration and usage. There are many open source tools in the industry that don't come with these licensing costs. I applaud Medina for his initiative to create connected communities but caution him on his approach. It's something I hope to talk more about with him in person.

Diego Bernal
Diego Bernal is another candidate who has announced his candidacy for the post. Bernal's background is primarily within social work and community advocacy, serving as the staff attorney for MALDEF after graduating from law school at the University of Michigan. Bernal is a lifelong resident of District 1 and is probably the least experienced of the four candidates in terms of tackling the role of councilmember. What impresses me the most about Bernal is his civil rights and community advocacy as well as his active involvement with the arts community of San Antonio. District 1 is the most diverse and arts related district of all the council districts so Bernal connects well with these communities.

Having that connection and support could help Bernal's grassroots campaign and possibly draw away from the others in terms of core voters, especially Forbrich's base. Bernal also could garner core Democratic support through his treasurer Joe Bernal, a longtime Democratic activist and former state senator. Sen. Bernal is highly respected in Democratic circles and could help lock in this support for Diego in a district that has a large Democratic base. But these constituent bases are only part of the dynamics of District 1, which leads to the final candidate in the council race.

Recently Bernal updated his website with a list of issues he feels are important. Most are what I would call standard issues such as improving first response, fixing sidewalks, and working towards affordable housing. However, he does dig a little deeper on a few items such as increasing curb appeal for areas and businesses leading downtown.

Carolyn Kelley
Carolyn Kelley is the final candidate I've seen announce as a candidate for the council seat. Kelley is the newest resident of the District among the field but has probably the most public service experience, having worked on a number of federal issues including recognition by Pres. Clinton for helping simplify the tax system for small businesses. She currently serves as the president of the Tobin Hill Community Association and has worked to help secure funds for neighborhood improvements and other initiatives for the area.

Kelley's most recent city public service has been as District 1 representative on the Zoning Commission. While that has provided Kelley with a connection within city government and to businesses within the district, it doesn't create other much needed connections within the community. However, Kelley does have probably the best business connection with District 1 businesses of all the candidates, possibly garnering her critical funds for her campaign. In my conversations with Kelley, she has a strong desire to listen to the needs but it's difficult to discern her vision for the district in the conversation. That vision is also not articulated on her website so more needs to be revealed to understand her commitment to the district.

Summary
So far, these are the only candidates I've seen announced for the race. Others have been rumored but with this strong of a field announced this early it's going to be critical for any others to announce now or expect to chase the field through the election. As you can see this is shaping up to be the most dynamic race of the 2011 municipal elections and rightfully so. Someone asked me today why District 1 would garner this strong of a field. I can only point back to my prior blog entry on the strength and diversity of District 1. Where else in the city could you find such an environment? District 1 truly is the strongest district of the city. It's the heart and soul of San Antonio.

I could start to speculate on how the various groups and factions might line up with the candidates and you can probably get a good sense from my first views; however, it will be critical to watch how the candidates nurture these groups in the coming weeks. Locking in some constituent foundations early on will be key to having the ability to close the race. If a candidate doesn't lock a faction in with this wide of a field, that candidate stands to lose strength down the stretch when key funds and volunteer support will be critical.

From what I understand several of the candidates has been secured for voter forums by neighborhood associations and interest groups. As the race progresses I'll try to keep you informed of what I hear about. I encourage you to get to know these candidates if you're a District 1 resident. All bring great strength to the table but each one has flaws that should be identified. After all, where District 1 goes, in my opinion, so goes the city.

What makes a good District 1 council member?

RBearSAT — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 01:14:23 GMT

(Part of a series on San Antonio's municipal elections at Concerned Citizens)

We haven't even gotten through the 2010 election cycle and candidates for the 2011 municipal election are already jockeying for position, especially in District 1. In 2011 Councilwoman Mary Alice Cisneros will be vacating her office due to term limits (she was not covered by the term limit extensions) and a field is already developing to run for her office. Greg Jefferson, columnist with the San Antonio Express-News, detailed some of the early political moves by District 1 candidates. It a good read and he's a lot more cued in on the race than I am so I'll leave any candidate analysis to him at this point. But a big question in mind is what would make a good District 1 candidate?
District 1 is probably one of the most interesting districts in all of the ten city council districts in San Antonio. Stretching from Loop 410 down to just south of Southtown and running from Fredericksbug to McCullough it covers the core geographic area of San Antonio. It also is one of the most diverse districts in terms of economic, ethnic, cultural and business interests. It takes a flexible and dynamic person to truly represent this district properly.

The district holds some of the most expensive and historic homes in San Antonio in the Monte Vista and King William neighborhoods as well as some of the poorest on the westside. It also contains some of the early suburban expansion areas north of Hildebrand all the way to Loop 410. Probably the most dynamic neighborhood of the district is the urban core which is experiencing a revival thanks to the work of Mayor Castro and urban developers, including the newly rezoned River North area straddling the new Museum Reach of the San Antonio River.

Understanding the development needs of these residential areas is a critical factor for any candidate or council member in District 1. The infrastructure needed to rebuild the urban core is probably one of the most critical needs for the area. River North is an area that has been neglected in the past and left to a hodge podge of warehouses, older homes, and small businesses. With the rezoning of the area to form based codes, street and pedestrian infrastructure will be necessary to help meet the needs of development.

It has a thriving art and theater community in various areas with a large concentration in Southtown, home to the First Friday Art Walk. Recently the Tobin Foundation committed $15 million for renovation of Municipal Auditorium into a new Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Coupled with the Majestic Theater, McCombs Theater, and Aztec Theater it will help expand performing arts in the city's urban core and increase the cultural offerings in San Antonio.

The majority of the city's GLBT community as well as nightclubs reside in the district. Both of the city's gay pride celebrations take part in the district. A council member must be able to address this diversity of these communities and understand their needs for funding or tolerance, something that seemed lacking in prior administrations. Having a candidate who would meet regularly with and participate in the activities of these communities could show progress for the city.

District 1 is also home to the governmental and business districts of San Antonio with both city and county governments headquartered in its downtown section. Frost Bank, HEB, San Antonio Credit Union, AT&T, and many other major businesses as well as many of San Antonio's major law firms are located in the district, giving it the most diverse business culture of the city.

Any candidate or office holder in the area must be able to meet with and help address the challenging needs of business in an area that must balance business growth with historic and cultural preservation. Sometimes these two factors clash so mediation and compromise are needed to help foster integration between the two. Having that skill can help build a district that could serve as a role model for all urban growth in Texas and the U.S.

It is also the home of many of the cities most historical structures. In the downtown area are two of the states most visited tourist attractions in the Alamo and Riverwalk. The King William Historic District has some of the oldest and most majestic homes in San Antonio with an ever increasing tourist traffic walking through the district. It is also home to the offices of the San Antonio Conservation Society as well as many of the Society's property holdings.

A person with an understanding of the historic asset San Antonio has can help grow San Antonio as a historic and preservationist destination for Texans and others. Recognizing the care and dignity that many of our city's historic sites and structures require is almost a must for the holder of the District 1 seat on council. Championing those needs and causes with the rest of council can help increase San Antonio's attraction worldwide, both for tourists and for business.

Finally, it holds an ethnic and economic cross-section that is wider than any other part of the city. Being cognizant of those groups and their needs will be a crucial skill of a District 1 council member. Understanding how to bring these groups together to help grow as one district could change the face of the district in many ways. This is probably the toughest challenge of any council member in the district but could also serve as the greatest accomplishment of the member during their tenure on council.

I have only had the opportunity to meet one of the potential candidates for District 1, Chris Forbrich. Until this year, I was more focused on District 8 where I lived. Now as a resident of District 1 I plan to find out more about the other possible candidates to see how well they understand the needs of the district. With such a diverse and dynamic district, it really needs a candidate with strong skills to help it grow and thrive in the seventh largest city in the nation.

Who will build Texas if her own people will not?

RBearSAT — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:10:04 GMT

I originally posted this in my blog - Concerned Citizens

The line is an adaption of a famous 1957 photo by Larry Obsitnik of the Arkansas Gazette. It's taken looking back at the Broadway Bridge in Little Rock as paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division rolled into the city. They were entering Little Rock on the eve of Little Rock Central High School's historic integration. A simple statement on a billboard at a turning point in Arkansas' history but it said so much at that time. I remembered that photo today as I sat in a press conference hosted by Rep. Mike Villarreal as he discussed the impact an epic budget shortfall will have on Texas education. In so many words, Villarreal asked that same question of Texans going into the upcoming biennium.
Today Texas State Comptroller Susan Combs released the revenue estimate for Texas for the next two years, estimating $72 billion in expected revenue based on current sources. Apply that to the current state budget needed to continue the current level of services - adjusted for population growth - and you have a shortfall of $27 billion. That's larger proportionally at 27% than California's expected budget shortfall of 19%. For all the rhetoric of Gov. Perry during the election, it appears Texas is worse off than California but you would have never guessed that from his political stump speeches.

Villarreal and several Bexar County education officials highlighted the impact such a budget shortfall will have on education for students locally. Pointing to the legacy left by prior legislatures, Villarreal said that "Our generation may be the first to drop the torch handed to us by our forefathers." He pointed out that this state legislature must take responsibility for our children's education."

Texas legislators will be expected to close the $27 billion gap to achieve a balanced budget for the next two years, a constitutional mandate in Texas. During a panel discussion held by the Texas Tribune in Austin after the November election, several panelists said that even with the state's Rainy Day fund estimated at $9 billion severe cuts will have to be made, possibly new fees raised, and finally cost shifting to beneficiaries to help close the gap. While gambling was listed as an option, with a larger conservative base of representatives many have said this option is dead on arrival this biennium.

Villarreal proposed a new plan with four components this morning in the press conference held at San Antonio College. First is a bi-partisan citizen panel made up of business and public citizens to review the current tax structure. Second is a citizen's commission similar to the Sunset Commission to review existing tax loopholes. Third is a budget process reformation to respect 5 year needs. Finally, fees should never be spent on anything other than their stated purpose.

When looking at the impact these budget cuts might have on local educational institutions, Chancellor Bruce Leslie said that Alamo Colleges had already begun a process of cutting up to $12 million from this year's budget. However, with the magnitude of expected state cuts that figure will have to be revised and increased. This will probably require shifting costs to the local community in one of the fastest growing community colleges in the nation. To meet budget needs Leslie said Alamo Colleges' open door policy may have to be reviewed.

Leslie spoke to me about where some of the cuts might end up. Alamo Colleges today provides entry education for college students planning to enter four year institutions as well as job training for local business. Pointing to the need for skilled workers in a growing economy, Leslie noted that cuts in programs like newly created Alamo Academy, a partnership with businesses and the city, would most likely face severe cuts. Students from those programs typically earn more and stay locally when entering the workforce.

Speaking for local secondary schools, Dr. John Folks, superintendent for the Northside Independent School District and 4th largest in the state, said that the cuts could result in between $30 and $40 million cuts in the district's budget. Folks said that the current school funding model is inequitable. "I hope the legislature sees that education is key to economic development," said Folks.

While Villarreal's proposals have the support of local educators, it is unclear what kind of support can be expected in the state legislature this biennium. The November elections netted the largest Republican freshman class in recent history, with many elected with support from the Tea Party on a platform of reduced government and taxes. Villarreal said that while that may have been their election platform, when they get to Austin and reality sets in those Republicans may have a change of heart.

Personally I support Villarreal's position on the matter. Texas has lagged the nation in graduation rates and education. While Texas may have survived the past economic downturn, unemployment rates are actually higher compared with neighboring states. If Texas wants to remain competitive and meet the needs of a growing workforce, education will be critical in that foundation. If corporations look at Texas and see continual decline in the education environment it will only be in their best interest to relocate to states with a better education system.

So the question asked of Arkansas 50 years ago rings true for Texas today - Who will build Texas if her own people do not?

Mayor Julian Castro Grand Marshal of SA Pride Parade, Meets Opposition

RBearSAT — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:40:03 GMT

Mayor Julian Castro agreed to serve as Grand Marshal of San Antonio's Pride Parade this July 4th, becoming the first San Antonio mayor to ever serve in this role. Prior Grand Marshals have included SAPD Chief William McManus, Bexar County Sheriff Ralph Lopez, US Congressman Charlie Gonzalez and former Marine Eric Alva. In doing so, Castro has drawn attacks from conservative talk show host Adam McManus who has encouraged his listeners to oppose Castro's action. McManus has leveraged his radio program to promote conservative and right-wing positions regularly, including opposition to a proposed change to the city's non-discrimination employment ordinance to include sexual orientation in 1998.

Please take the time to express support for Mayor Castro's decision and outrage to Adam McManus for opposition to such action. At such an early time in his career Mayor Castro has taken a bold action to show that San Antonio is an inclusive city and rejects divisive and repressive acts by people like McManus.

Gay Pride SA is planning to attend city council on June 11th at 5pm in a show of support for Mayor Castro. More info at the Facebook event page.