The Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio are the only Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender organization of their kind in Bexar County to screen and endorse candidates for public office.
For endorsement consideration, candidates must fill out a questionnaire on issues like non-discrimination and during its recent review of candidates for the San Antonio City Council, 22 of the 39 candidates completed their questionnaires.
No endorsement was given for City Council Districts 8 or 9, or the office of mayor, but incumbent Mayor Julián Castro, who didn't turn in his questionnaire, may get another chance.
Castro has been a staunch supporter of LGBT issues and this year appointed a LGBT liaison to the city. He told the nation last year at the Democratic National Convention that he supports marriage equality.
Daniel Graney, co-chair of the Stonewall Democrats’ endorsement committee, said Castro may be given the benefit of the doubt. The group will meet again next Monday to reconsider an endorsement for the council's top office.
Graney was disappointed in a few of the endorsements, saying he and the overall group didn’t see eye to eye on every candidate.
In District 8, a seat Reed Williams is vacating, Graney supported candidate Ron Nirenberg.
"That was one of the races I was personally disappointed in because I thought we should have endorsed him but the members didn't agree with me; the majority did not," Graney said, adding that they did not recieve any response from any of the candidates.
The group only endorsed three incumbents: District 1 Councilman Diego Bernal, District 4 Councilman Rey Saldaña, and District 6 Councilman Ray Lopez.
District 3 Councilwoman Leticia Ozuna, who is not technically an incumbent because she was appointed to fill the remainder of Jennifer Ramos' term, earned the endorsement in her race.
Graney supported District 2 Councilwoman Ivy Taylor, but the group ended up endorsing one of her challengers, Norris Tyrone Darden.
