Bexar County is likely to elect the next full-term successor to Texas House District 120 Representative Ruth Jones McClendon, who resigned this year following health problems.
There are two Democrats vying in the runoff race and with no Republican on the ballot in November the winning Democrat is likely to be the new office holder.
Polls across Texas where there are runoff races will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m on Tuesday, May 24th.
The two candidates on the Democratic ballot for House District 120 are Mario Salas, a UTSA lecturer, and Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, superintendent of the George Gervin Academy. Salas says his priority in the legislature would be to raise teacher salaries and revamp the foster care system.
“We need to have better oversight in terms of inspectors, so we may be looking at hiring more inspectors and obviously training them to know what to look for, we’ve got to stop that. We’ve got to take care of the kids who have gotten in trouble through no fault of their own.”
He would also like to change how disaster declarations are held to provide faster relief and repair for events like the recent hail storms.
Gervin-Hawkins would like to see public and charter schools work more closely together.
“I believe that we’ve got to see how the different types traditional and non-traditional educational assistance can work closer together for the best interest of kids. I’m interested in juvenile justice. I truly believe we’ve got to create an opportunity for young people to get back on track.”
Gervin-Hawkins also wants property owners to be better informed about when and how cities can annex properties.
Gervin-Hawkins and Salas were the top two vote-getters in the March Democratic primary. No Republicans are running to represent District 120 which includes San Antonio’s East Side, and has for a long time provided Bexar County’s only African American representative to the state legislature.
