The old idea that an election is an incumbent’s to lose proved true Tuesday in Bexar County’s local races.
Rebeca Clay-Flores and Grant Moody both secured another term on the Commissioners Court. Clay-Flores pulled ahead by around 17%. Moody was up by over 10%.
It is the second term for Democrat Clay-Flores, who represents Precinct 1, which spans the city’s Southwest Side. Clay-Flores emerged victorious in a fairly subdued general election, following a bruising primary election where she led over five challengers but didn’t break 50%. That went to a runoff, which included accusations against the commissioner of false endorsements and misinformation. Clay-Flores lobbed her own at opponents alleging harassment and racism.
Now with three elections behind her this year, she says it's been a long year. “I am tired," she said, "but looking forward to serving my constituents for a second term in 2025 — and I've worked really hard over the last four years.”
For her next term, she wants to continue her fight to increase health care access to the South Side. Her precinct lost a major hospital last year when Texas Vista Medical Center — formerly Southwest General Hospital — closed.
University Health System continues to build its Palo Alto Hospital campus in the area. Ensuring it is completed on time in 2027 is a priority for Clay-Flores, as well as increasing capacity for in-patient treatment for mental health emergencies through increased mental health beds.
“I will continue to work to make sure that we have a facility in Bexar County that has mental health beds. There's a real lack of mental health beds in Bexar County,” she said.
The sole Republican on the court, Moody, was elected to his first full term. He was first elected to represent the North Side in a 2022 special election after Trish DeBerry resigned to run for Bexar County judge. Moody defeated market researcher and longtime North Side resident Susan Korbel for the second time in two years in the still conservative precinct. Moody ran on a fiscally conservative and public safety platform.
He said his work the past two years gave him victories to run on like more law enforcement for the area and cuts to property taxes.
"We had a record run on, and we were proud of that record, and we talked about that record, and I think that resonated with voters," he said.
“There's so much more to be done,” Moody said. “When it comes to public safety, there's some serious questions, you know, about our jail population, and how we're going to deal with that over the coming years in a growing county."
Moody said he wants a study to establish how to address the Bexar County Jail, which is regularly near capacity and struggling to keep staff. He also said he wanted to focus on reviewing how the county spends on capital projects — preferring to pay down debt.
While the letters next to their names may be different, both incumbents now face the political calculus of getting to three votes.
