Note: Names are listed in order of appearance on the ballot according to the city clerks' office. Answers from candidates have not been edited or fact-checked.
For TPR's full Voter Guide, click here.
J. Miller (Jacqu'e Laurell Miller)
Did not respond.*
Justin Macaluso
Q: What is your current or most recent occupation?
A: Director of Quality and Lean Manufacturing
Q: Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what office and when?
A: No
Q: What is your experience with city government? For instance, have you ever served on a city board or commission?
A: Paying property tax, and vehicle registration tax.
Q: If you are challenging an incumbent, why do you feel there needs to be a change in leadership and why are you the right person for that change?
A: I will work every day to make San Antonio a better place to live.
Q: Voters will decide on Proposition B this May — a potential repeal of collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Do you support repealing collective bargaining or do you believe it should remain in place?
A: I support collective bargaining but I also support defunding the police. At the end of the day being a police officer is still a job, and it's important for workers to be able to voice their needs as a group. However BackSABlue.com says "the only goal of Prop B is to defund police", so I support Prop B so that funds can be redistributed towards essential social services such as housing, education, employment, mental health care, and youth services.
Q: Voters passed the Ready to Work SA initiative in November which creates funding for job training and support services like childcare for people to seek new trades — especially for those who lost their job in the pandemic — using a sales tax for the next five years. Do you feel this was the right approach to addressing not only job losses but to also grow the talent pool for industries in San Antonio?
A: The "Ready to Work SA" initiative sounds like the right approach, we will see how well it actually works in the coming years.
Q: What changes — if any — do you feel are needed at CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System following the winter storm?
A: From the winter storm, it was obvious CPS Energy had no plan for what to do if the city wasn't getting enough power. And likewise it was obvious SAWS had no plan for what to do if their water pumps were not getting electricity. A lot of us experienced a day or two where we would have power for maybe 3 or 4 minutes every hour. That wasn't long enough for our heaters to even start blowing warm air to heat the house. CPS Energy needs an effective contingency plan for what to do in these situations. People who didn't live on the same grid as the hospitals need to know they'll be losing power days before weather events like this happen so that they can prepare. CPS could have given each of us 15 minutes of power and 3 hours of no power instead of the shorter 5 minute bursts. One of my coworkers homes ended up getting down to 39F inside, which is just simply unacceptable. SAWS needs an effective contingency plan for what to do when they have no electricity going to their water pumps. It takes a lot of thermal energy to make water turn to ice, because the water pumps stopped, the existing water supply ran low, and because there was less water in the pipes they froze. The unique thing with water is that it expands when it becomes ice, this is what caused all the pipes to burst and forced us on the 'boil water' situation. SAWS quoted an $800,000,000 amount to fix 80 pumping stations with backup generators. $10,000,000 per station seems too expensive to me.
Q: What is one policy or priority that you would introduce as a council consideration request that has not already been submitted or considered?
A: Directing VIA to stop charging riders fares. Less than 15% of VIAs annual revenue comes from paid fares, the other 85% comes from sales tax and from federal assistance funds. We know it's usually those with less that ride the bus, why are we charging $38/month for a monthly bus pass? Eliminating fares will increase ridership which will reduce road traffic for everyone.
Gary Allen
Q: What is your current or most recent occupation?
A: Retired Educator
Q: Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what office and when?
A: U.S. Congressional District 20 and lost in a run-off
Q: If you are challenging an incumbent, why do you feel there needs to be a change in leadership and why are you the right person for that change?
A: I'm running to help bring common sense, transparency, and accountability back into the city government. I believe a more conservative approach is the answer to stabilize the future. Conservative Mayors of most large cities faired much better than the liberal mayors because the shut-downs were more harsh in liberal cities. The economies were destroyed. Also, many civil rights were violated and the First Amendment of the Constitution was ignored. Our precious freedoms are what made this country great and they must be upheld to continue that greatness.
Q: Voters will decide on Proposition B this May — a potential repeal of collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Do you support repealing collective bargaining or do you believe it should remain in place?
A: I am against Prop B. This is an effort to begin defunding the police force which will make our city less safe. Collective bargaining is important for any organization to help maintain fair working conditions and fair wages. If we take that away we will have officers leaving for somewhere else, will have a much harder time recruiting new officers, and the moral of these officers will be compromised in a job that is already difficult, dangerous, and stressful.
Q: Many residents have called for significant discipline reform for San Antonio Police officers in contract negotiations which are being debated right now between the city and the police union. What changes or reform — if any — would you like to see?
A: The only change or reform, in my opinion, is to have a evaluation committee made up of officers and people from the community to review officers' actions. There needs to be more training in dangerous arrests procedures that could cause death to those that are being arrested. Officers have a very dangerous job which split second decisions have to be made. Their lives are at risk and they could be injured or killed if they delay a response. Training will help on what to do and not what to do. They already have training in much of this, but more training is necessary. They are here to serve and protect the citizens. They cannot do this effectively if their hands are tied too much in making an arrest. We must consider the civil rights of not only the alleged criminal but the law abiding citizen.
Q: Voters passed the Ready to Work SA initiative in November which creates funding for job training and support services like childcare for people to seek new trades — especially for those who lost their job in the pandemic — using a sales tax for the next five years. Do you feel this was the right approach to addressing not only job losses but to also grow the talent pool for industries in San Antonio?
A: The Work Force Program is a response to the city's failure to manage the COVID crisis. If they had not shut down the city so tight and so long they would not have to do this. Now, they are ready to punish the taxpayers for the city's failure. We need to get the city back on track but not by taxing more. Job openings are everywhere, all you have to do is drive around town and see numerous signs saying "help needed apply within." People just need to be proactive and look for the openings. It should not be upon the taxpayers backs. If money is needed to help businesses then dip into the reserve fund, but do not drain it extensively like another candidate wants to do.
Q: What changes — if any — do you feel are needed at CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System following the winter storm?
A: I am for restructuring CPS and not having the mayor serve on its board which promotes a conflict of interest. CPS needs to be more transparent and responsive to the citizens. The same for SAWS. A believe that the SAWS Accountability Act will help make SAWS a better organization for serving the citizens.
Q: What is one policy or priority that you would introduce as a council consideration request that has not already been submitted or considered?
A: Stop funding so many projects. Be conservative in expansion. We do not San Antonio to lose its "hometown" appeal. There are those that want to globalize our city with big tech companies such as being pushed by the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. Why do we want to lose our identity to foreign countries, especially China. Do we really want to grow to 2 million, 5 million, or10 million people with all the problems that will bring such as traffic congestion, housing shortages, and water shortages. This happened in Houston. It can happen here.
Frank Adam Muniz
Did not respond.*
Antonio "Tony" Diaz
Q: What is your current or most recent occupation?
A: Retail/ Director of Texas Indigenous Council non profit organization
Q: Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what office and when?
A: Yes, in 2019 for Mayor, came out in 4th place out of 14 candidates.
Q: What is your experience with city government? For instance, have you ever served on a city board or commission?
A: I serve on the County's Reentry Council also on the Civilian Advisory Board of Lasarus Oil Refinery. I'm a Human and Civil Rights Activist 30 years experience.
Q: If you are challenging an incumbent, why do you feel there needs to be a change in leadership and why are you the right person for that change?
A: Myriad of reasons Affordable Housing being a principle reason along with addressing the SAPOA Contract that eludes any transparency every 5 years when its renegotiated. I support Prop B on this election cycles ballot. The continued Grants and Tax Abatements to Developers that are carried on the backs of the Rate payers, the Tax payers. There's many issues that I would do different from current and past Mayors.
Q: Voters will decide on Proposition B this May — a potential repeal of collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Do you support repealing collective bargaining or do you believe it should remain in place?
A: I support Prop B. I'm pro Unions but not when that Association uses its Civil Servant status to occlude files of Bad Cops. I was one of the Activists that pushed for the Civilian Police Review Board that exists today, for decades we have pushed for Transparency of disciplinary actions of Police officers files and gotten nowhere. My hopes are that Prop B passes and we bring transparency to files of Bad Cops.
Q: Many residents have called for significant discipline reform for San Antonio Police officers in contract negotiations which are being debated right now between the city and the police union. What changes or reform — if any — would you like to see?
A: That SAPOA not have the final word on disciplinary actions of its members because that leaves the fox in charge of the henhouse. Discipline must be in the hands of the Police Chief and the Civilian Police Review Board.
Q: Voters passed the Ready to Work SA initiative in November which creates funding for job training and support services like childcare for people to seek new trades — especially for those who lost their job in the pandemic — using a sales tax for the next five years. Do you feel this was the right approach to addressing not only job losses but to also grow the talent pool for industries in San Antonio?
A: Yes, I've long advocated for such a move but was always reminded that our Citys sales tax was at ceiling level ,which is why Bonds have become the funding mechanism for most projects.
Q: What changes — if any — do you feel are needed at CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System following the winter storm?
A: Removal of both CEOS Mrs. Gold Williams and Robert Puente aren't in touch with the financial needs of Rate payers. Both approve abatements for Commercial Developers on backs of ratepayers. The selection of Board members of both Public Utilities need to be transparent.
Q: What is one policy or priority that you would introduce as a council consideration request that has not already been submitted or considered?
A: Televising the Citizens to be Heard/ Public Opinion courtesy meeting held on Wednesday evenings. This might motivate more voter participation.
Ron Nirenberg
Q: What is your current or most recent occupation?
A: Mayor of San Antonio
Q: Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what office and when?
A: Yes, San Antonio City Council - District 8.
Q: What is your experience with city government? For instance, have you ever served on a city board or commission?
A: Mayor of San Antonio / City Councilmember - District 8.
Q: If you are the incumbent, what are you most proud of during your time in office so far?
A: In the last year, we were able to make landmark investments in the Edwards Aquifer, workforce development, early childhood education and public transit without a single tax increase.
Q: Voters will decide on Proposition B this May — a potential repeal of collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Do you support repealing collective bargaining or do you believe it should remain in place?
A: In order to be at the negotiating table in good faith, I cannot take a formal position on Proposition B as the sitting mayor.
Q: Many residents have called for significant discipline reform for San Antonio Police officers in contract negotiations which are being debated right now between the city and the police union. What changes or reform — if any — would you like to see?
A: The chief should have more of an ability to keep bad officers off the force. I'd also like to see the department provide for additional & comprehensive mental health call training.
Q: Voters passed the Ready to Work SA initiative in November which creates funding for job training and support services like childcare for people to seek new trades — especially for those who lost their job in the pandemic — using a sales tax for the next five years. Do you feel this was the right approach to addressing not only job losses but to also grow the talent pool for industries in San Antonio?
A: Yes, I was proud to bring this initiative before voters and strongly agree with their overwhelming approval of the program.
Q: What changes — if any — do you feel are needed at CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System following the winter storm?
A: We need to start with a full evaluation of what took place during the event, which is why I formed a committee to understand what occurred and what we can improve. At first glance, I do believe we should be looking to improve our local agencies' communication methods so that we can reach as many residents as possible amid these types of outages.
Q: What is one policy or priority that you would introduce as a council consideration request that has not already been submitted or considered?
A: I'm looking forward to enhancing our efforts to bridge the digital divide in our community so that every San Antonio student can have access to high-speed internet.
Michael "Commander" Idrogo
Did not respond.*
John M. Velasquez
Q: What is your current or most recent occupation?
A: Licensed Psychologist
Q: Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what office and when?
A: Mayor in 2017 and 2019 (placed third)
Q: What is your experience with city government? For instance, have you ever served on a city board or commission?
A: I have not served on any boards. The current mayor nominated me to the cultural affairs board in 2017, but I declined because my expertise is mental health. In 2019 he asked Metro Health to work with me, but leadership at Metro Health blocked my appointment.
Q: If you are challenging an incumbent, why do you feel there needs to be a change in leadership and why are you the right person for that change?
A: I am the "right person" for change in ethics, leadership skills, and attention to health. I am the only candidate who has talked to the citizens of San Antonio and knows their lives. My unique role has allowed me to hear the true stories of people, especially the impact of the *response* to coronavirus on the majority of San Antonio residents. We were already an unhealthy city and we knew the problems and we knew the zip codes that were vulnerable. Yet, the city leadership made the decision to lockdown, take away jobs, reduce access to food, disrupt schools and school children, and put people at risk of violence. They knew this would happen, yet they made the decision anyway. This is a conflict of interest to make a decision that would harm so many people, yet not harm them. They also knew that incomes were low in San Antonio to begin with, yet they took jobs away from them over night. A city already with income disparities has an already bigger gap than ever. These are outcomes of the decisions made by the current leadership in San Antonio.
Q: Voters will decide on Proposition B this May — a potential repeal of collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Do you support repealing collective bargaining or do you believe it should remain in place?
A: Collective bargaining is a hard fought gain for any labor union. It is the hallmark of a union’s strength to protect it’s workers. And when a labor sector is protected we all gain from that. An additional advantage of labor unions is to establish health and safety standards to protect it’s workers in the workplace. With a police labor union, we are talking about a group of workers that “work” in the entire city environment. This adds additional risk to that labor sector. Yet, the labor has a direct impact on all other citizens of San Antonio. Just as health and safety standards are meant to protect workers, they are also intended to protect the health and safety of the public. Workers in protection of their own health and safety cannot also put the public at risk. We need to REDUCE crime as the solution to this problem. The best way to reduce crime is to improve the mental health of the public and the police labor organization and all other police officers. Mental health methods can help prevent persons from entering the academy who are at risk to the health and safety of the public.
Q: Many residents have called for significant discipline reform for San Antonio Police officers in contract negotiations which are being debated right now between the city and the police union. What changes or reform — if any — would you like to see?
A: Prevention is the key. Rather than have to respond to bad behavior or determine what would be appropriate discipline (both of which are necessary), implement measures to *prevent* problem behavior. 1. Comprehensive psychological evaluation of police applicants, 2. Imbed mental health throughout the process from training to on duty actions to immediate response on the scene with debriefing on same day. 3. Mandatory cooling off periods after incidents, 4. Prolonged Exposure Therapy for officers who experience life threatening calls. Each day should begin on an even keel and each day should end on an even keel. Allow officer to come forward with any mental health concern with no retaliation or disciplinary action against the officer who reports mental health symptoms. Provide the help immediately.
Q: Voters passed the Ready to Work SA initiative in November which creates funding for job training and support services like childcare for people to seek new trades — especially for those who lost their job in the pandemic — using a sales tax for the next five years. Do you feel this was the right approach to addressing not only job losses but to also grow the talent pool for industries in San Antonio?
A: No. Sales taxes should be used to treat the mental health created by the decision to lockdown and the taking away people's livelihoods. Leaders are pointing to have you to look down the road to ignore their decisions. The roll out of the "Initiative" was poorly timed. Nine months AFTER people lost their jobs, you got to vote on this "initiative." Now wait *another* year to even get started with training. As millennials would say, "all late." The decision to lockdown created a mental health crisis. We need to treat mental health or it won't matter that there is job "training." Leader are using worn out and tired solutions while pretending to care about your life situation. Watch what sales tax could do with the mental health of citizens. That will grow the economy and make the talent pool better.
Q: What changes — if any — do you feel are needed at CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System following the winter storm?
A: Make the Board a set of "advocates" for the people, not already elected leaders. Make the leaders servants of the people. Our current set of leaders are void of concern for people and don't understand the impact of their decisions on people. Both agencies need to repair, refurbish, and build new infrastructure. We need to make not just the agency accountable, we need to make the leadership accountable. They can't just "resign" when they screw up. They can't just appoint task forces to "find out" what went wrong. There needs to be financial penalties for the leaders who make poor decisions, and not paid for by the people, but by the individuals themselves.
Q: What is one policy or priority that you would introduce as a council consideration request that has not already been submitted or considered?
A: Creation of a Traffic Control Center and the establishment of the "Rules of the Road" in San Antonio. 1. Through the use of existing cameras, monitor traffic live. When traffic is unusually backed up, traffic lights can be remotely changed to ease the gridlocks. 2. On major highways where construction was completed decades ago, begin to close certain entrance ramps which are a major source of traffic build up. 3. Construction new exits. 4. Construct emergency exits that are closed until a road is closed completely. Then these exits can be remotely opened during these crises. 5. Create variable speed lanes on major highways and road ways. If the speed limit is 65, that is the limit for the passing lane. Each subsequent lane to the right would be five mph hour slower. All lanes must be going different speeds. These speeds would be painted on the highway. 6. Establish "friendly" attitudes of the road to minimize road rage. This is a major mental health problem with deadly consequences. For example, make it a habit of allowing other drivers to move into your lane ahead of you. 7. Driver's Education schools and programs in high schools will add these new driver rules to the curriculum. 8. The tourism bureau would add this to advertisement so tourists can integrate their driving to the kind that "San Antonio Road Experts" have. OVERALL, the stress levels of drivers will go down and improve air quality in San Antonio.
Dan Martinez
Q: What is your current or most recent occupation?
A: Retired
Q: Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what office and when?
A: Yes, in 1978 I was elected to the ACCD (Alamo Community College District)
Q: What is your experience with city government? For instance, have you ever served on a city board or commission?
A: I have served on the SAPD Internal Affairs Board for 4 years and on the Zoning Commission for 2 years.
Q: If you are challenging an incumbent, why do you feel there needs to be a change in leadership and why are you the right person for that change?
A: I have a great deal of experience in national, state and local politics as a public servant, not a politician. The reason I am running is because the city of SA has been forcing property owners to mow the city owned alleys behind their property under the threat of being fined if they fail to do so. Also the double taxation on Utility bills that relate to fees in solid waste collection, sewer and storm water fees which are already included in property tax. If elected, I will hold the city manager accountable if not my mission is to educate the residents of San Antonio.
Q: Voters will decide on Proposition B this May — a potential repeal of collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Do you support repealing collective bargaining or do you believe it should remain in place?
A: Absolutely, I support Proposition B because I have seen bad cops that were terminated for good reasons only to see them reinstated back on the police force.
Q: Many residents have called for significant discipline reform for San Antonio Police officers in contract negotiations which are being debated right now between the city and the police union. What changes or reform — if any — would you like to see?
A: Doing away with the arbitration process.
Q: Voters passed the Ready to Work SA initiative in November which creates funding for job training and support services like childcare for people to seek new trades — especially for those who lost their job in the pandemic — using a sales tax for the next five years. Do you feel this was the right approach to addressing not only job losses but to also grow the talent pool for industries in San Antonio?
A: Yes, if the money is used for that specific purpose.
Q: What changes — if any — do you feel are needed at CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System following the winter storm?
A: Both top officials should be terminated and there should be more of the revenues used for infrastructure improvements and not invested to bring more revenues to the utilities.
Q: What is one policy or priority that you would introduce as a council consideration request that has not already been submitted or considered?
A: I will evaluate the performance of the City Manager, The Director of Solid Waste Management and the Director of Development Services. And I will seek the City Council to refund all the fines imposed on residents who failed to mow the city owned alleys.
Denise Gutierrez-Homer
Q: What is your current or most recent occupation?
A: Political activist/ NYC artist
Q: Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what office and when?
A: Yes, D2 City Council 2019
Q: What is your experience with city government? For instance, have you ever served on a city board or commission?
A: Eastside Community Planning committee
Q: If you are challenging an incumbent, why do you feel there needs to be a change in leadership and why are you the right person for that change?
A: I represent the heart of San Antonio. The people need a voice for Common sense and fiscal responsibility for hard working taxpayers. As a resident and business person of the inner city, I will bring results for struggling families and gentrified neighborhoods. As a bi-lingual Mayor I will proudly include those who have been ignored while bringing solutions to our generational businesses which are the foundation of our city.
Q: Voters will decide on Proposition B this May — a potential repeal of collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Do you support repealing collective bargaining or do you believe it should remain in place?
A: I support all employee opportunities to advocate for their best interests. As Mayor, I do not have to roll over and open the public check book at anyone’s whim. As a former teacher, I would expect my union to fight for every benefit and costs of living as I would expect from my union. This is no different for the officers who place their lives on the line everyday for our city.
Q: Many residents have called for significant discipline reform for San Antonio Police officers in contract negotiations which are being debated right now between the city and the police union. What changes or reform — if any — would you like to see?
A: Starts at the Chief’s office. It requires the cooperation of the Police Union. In return for support of collective bargaining, I expect to have better results in disciplinary actions, no more bad sandwiches.
Q: Voters passed the Ready to Work SA initiative in November which creates funding for job training and support services like childcare for people to seek new trades — especially for those who lost their job in the pandemic — using a sales tax for the next five years. Do you feel this was the right approach to addressing not only job losses but to also grow the talent pool for industries in San Antonio?
A: I’m a small business woman, I never was asked what training is needed for entry level is needed for my industry. My husband’s office we teach spelling, how to address an envelope and very basic life skills to entry level employee’s. Our school system needs to adequately prepare students for further education so that you can earn $15 hr after 2 years of tech training. Retraining needs to be qualified so that it doesn’t include basic GED and life skills that should be prerequisites otherwise it’s a total waste of money. With screening, counseling, testing this could capitalize on these individuals true human attention.
Q: What changes — if any — do you feel are needed at CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System following the winter storm?
A: Let me start the list. Greater oversight by city of San Antonio mayor in decisions that affect SA ratepayers the buck stops at the Mayors office. Auxiliary generators for every SAWS pumping stations should be in working order. Emergency generation capacity should always be available for hot days and cold days. Our Dilley plant needs to be reconfigured as a natural gas plant. The public needs to be educated about the difference between the combustion products of coal versus diesel versus natural gas. Not every fossil fuel needs to be retired. Natural gas when burned is the same gases that your body produces when you eat. Water and carbon dioxide, grass and trees fix carbon, they need water. SAWS idea of xeroscape robs your local environment of oxygen and leaves carbon dioxide in air. The city desire to cram more people in heat island’s downtown is bad for our environment. It’s not green. I am in favor of not stranding CPS assets but letting old plants to stay on line until they are economically inefficient. This would allow the rate payer the benefit of using their funds wisely and minimize the impact of green energy infrastructure implemented by a political bias versus sound city of San Antonio economics.
Q: What is one policy or priority that you would introduce as a council consideration request that has not already been submitted or considered?
A: I have a plan for transitional affordable housing. For instance, let’s get that unemployed worker a workforce education, a $15 hr job and move them into their own purchased affordable home. Earn your American dream thru Co-Op housing with the city providing infrastructure built into a new planned community on city owned land. Let’s let the city build the streets and utilities. Let the developers create the affordable floor plans, build at a set price point and have them become paying taxpayers for our schools, hospitals and city services.
Greg Brockhouse
Q: What is your current or most recent occupation?
A: Self Employed Business Owner
Q: Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what office and when?
A: Yes, I was elected to represent District 6 on the San Antonio City Council from 2017-2019. I ran for Mayor in 2019.
Q: What is your experience with city government? For instance, have you ever served on a city board or commission?
A: Represented District 6 on the San Antonio City Council from 2017-2019.
Q: If you are challenging an incumbent, why do you feel there needs to be a change in leadership and why are you the right person for that change?
A: I believe San Antonio needs energetic and passionate leadership in our City. As Mayor, a leader must be more about what we can do, than what we can't, and that means leading with conviction and striving to be a Mayor for all of San Antonio. Our current leadership caters to one political party only. We are a non partisan city and we must work hard for all, everyone must have a seat at the table. I believe we should have kept our city open for business and encouraged San Antonians to keep working and living. I will open up San Antonio 100% and focus on Job Creation and investments in small businesses. We will be better prepared and never again fall victim to a lack of planning like we did during the winter storm. We will defend public safety and our police officers, reduce crime and take care of families. With a rising murder rate, failures at CPS Energy and a poorly planned vaccine rollout that hurt our underserved communities, we need a Mayor who is in our community each and every day.
Q: Voters will decide on Proposition B this May — a potential repeal of collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Do you support repealing collective bargaining or do you believe it should remain in place?
A: No, I do not support and I will be voting AGAINST Prop B. We need to protect the collective bargaining rights of our police officers.
Q: Many residents have called for significant discipline reform for San Antonio Police officers in contract negotiations which are being debated right now between the city and the police union. What changes or reform — if any — would you like to see?
A: We have to remember the facts. Only 10 police officers in 10 years have been fired and reinstated by an arbitrator. Our police department is the best in the state and I would say, the nation. We must get better at discipline and fire bad cops, but not at the expense of the elimination of the entire police contract. I do believe we should maintain arbitration. We should work together with SAPOA to update the review standards and ensure an arbitrator has full access to an entire officer's record. We must have full and total transparency, so the Chief of Police and the arbitrator have all the facts to make a sound decision. We should also ensure due process for police officers accused of misconduct, but they should not receive any special notification or time to prepare for allegations or misconduct charges.
Q: Voters passed the Ready to Work SA initiative in November which creates funding for job training and support services like childcare for people to seek new trades — especially for those who lost their job in the pandemic — using a sales tax for the next five years. Do you feel this was the right approach to addressing not only job losses but to also grow the talent pool for industries in San Antonio?
A: No, I do not feel it is the right approach. We should have invested our resources into job creation immediately, not 3-5 years in the future. Workers are struggling now to get back to work and we should have invested in workforce training across the job market in San Antonio to get people back to work and earning more income now. However, the citizens have voted and approved the measure, so we must enact it immediately and with complete oversight. As mayor, I would eliminate the current plan to create an entire city department to manage Workforce Education and push all resources to our non profit partners, Alamo Colleges and Workforce Solutions. I would also focus on investing workforce training to our hospitality, tourism, and food and beverage sectors. I don't believe the answer is to retrain people out of jobs they enjoy to jobs the government thinks are best.
Q: What changes — if any — do you feel are needed at CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System following the winter storm?
A: CPS Energy failed us during the winter storm. I would ask for a clean sweep of leadership and a change in focus away from a full push to renewable energy sources. The winter storm has taught us a valuable lesson: we must have a balanced portfolio that includes fossil fuels and we must be realistic about the timelines and costs associated with renewable energy sources. When a citizen goes to turn on the lights, they must come on. Period. We must also fund weatherization of our entire infrastructure. Furthermore, I would focus my time as mayor on the changing of CPS Energy's culture to a model of total transparency. I would change the governance setup and expand the board to include greater citizen oversight.
Q: What is one policy or priority that you would introduce as a council consideration request that has not already been submitted or considered?
A: I would move to immediately expand the Open Records Request process to guarantee total transparency at City Hall. Full digital search without reliance on any human interaction, if at all possible. We must meet the standards of turnaround times and fully disclose all information. This would include revamping the process, expectations and public dissemination of all information.
Ray Basaldua
"Simply not interested" in completing the survey.
Joshua James Galvan
Dropped out of race.
Tim Atwood
Q: What is your current or most recent occupation?
A: I am currently a secondary school teacher.
Q: Have you ever run for public office before? If so, what office and when?
A: I ran for mayor of San Antonio in 2019.
Q: If you are challenging an incumbent, why do you feel there needs to be a change in leadership and why are you the right person for that change?
A: I believe that we need a mayor who is more transparent. At times, it seems that the incumbent and a few council members are transparent when it serves their purpose or agenda, but not so much when the facts appear to counter what they want to accomplish. I believe in the preeminence of integrity, honesty, and character, and I am committed to standing on the side of truth, wherever it leads me.
Q: Voters will decide on Proposition B this May — a potential repeal of collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association. Do you support repealing collective bargaining or do you believe it should remain in place?
A: I will vote against Proposition B, and I urge San Antonians to do the same. The goal of collective bargaining is to provide a platform for mutually beneficial solutions when negotiating wages and benefits, particularly health care, in a profession where officers put their lives on the line everyday. I am certainly in favor of police accountability. However, while Prop B brings attention to the issue, it does nothing to actually promote accountability. It strikes me as a round-about way to defund the police, and an overcompensation that attempts to punish SAPD for what happened in Minneapolis with the tragic George Floyd case. While a thorough review of concerns such as the policies regarding reinstatement of fired officers is certainly warranted, an across-the-board punitive measure like Prop B will do nothing to improve anything, in my view. There are a few bad apples in every organizations, and they need to be rooted out, but San Antonio is not Minneapolis. Let's "not throw the baby out with the bath water."
Q: Many residents have called for significant discipline reform for San Antonio Police officers in contract negotiations which are being debated right now between the city and the police union. What changes or reform — if any — would you like to see?
A: Reform is needed wherever the need for reform exists. This is not to say that we don't have a good, solid police force. By and large, I think SAPD does a good job. However, there is always room for improvement in any organization. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, fired officers are guaranteed the right to an appeal hearing before a third-party arbitrator. I believe that this is a good, just provision. However, the 67% reinstatement rate does seem a bit high on the surface. The high rate warrants a thorough review of the process. As I recall, even the police chief expressed frustration with the reinstatement of certain officers.
Q: Voters passed the Ready to Work SA initiative in November which creates funding for job training and support services like childcare for people to seek new trades — especially for those who lost their job in the pandemic — using a sales tax for the next five years. Do you feel this was the right approach to addressing not only job losses but to also grow the talent pool for industries in San Antonio?
A: The main goal of Ready to Work SA is to help residents re-enter the workforce. Even though there are components that warrant re-calibration, I believe that it was the right approach, in general. One of the problems with proposals such as this one, is that proponents often present a proposal report that is "overly optimistic," to use the words of Councilman Perry. Projections such as the program yielding over $13 billion dollars in community benefit and almost $6 billion dollars in increased wages, strike me as an oversell of the initiative that may or may not be based in economic reality.
Q: What changes — if any — do you feel are needed at CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System following the winter storm?
A: Better communication, more accountability, and infrastructure improvements are needed across the board. The harsh reality is, some things just don't get done unless they are required. In 1989, investigations were conducted and recommendations were made, but no action was taken. Nothing was required except reports, and nothing else was done. In like manner, after the 2011 storm when millions lost power, investigations were conducted and recommendations were made, but no action was taken. Nothing was required and nothing was done. So, here we are again. The Railroad Commission has the authority to "require," that is, "order" weatherization improvements, but hasn't done it. This thread of anti-regulation mentality extends from PUC and the Railroad Commission, to ERCOT and CPS and SAWS as well, to our peril. Now is the time for investments to
Q: What is one policy or priority that you would introduce as a council consideration request that has not already been submitted or considered?
A: I don't believe that an incumbent mayor should sit on the boards of SAWS or CPS. It creates a clear conflict of interest, and gives those entities an unfair advantage in proceedings. For example, if SAWS wants to increase your water bill by 10%, it must come before Council for an approval vote. If SAWS comes into the A session, already knowing that the mayor's vote is in their pocket, how is that not a conflict of interest? Admittedly, the mayor only has one vote, but the mayor also has influence in the outcome. The mayor should be there to provide leadership by asking hard questions and holding SAWS accountable, not to rubber-stamp proposals that have been approved by a board, of which he is a part.
* denotes candidates who did not respond to survey requests sent via email and/or phone calls by time of publication.
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