County Judge Nelson Wolff said the Bexar County Democratic Party made the right call to not boycott the Bill Miller restaurant chain.
The local Democrats tabled a resolution at their Tuesday meeting that would have called for a boycott of the BBQ business.
The beef with Bill Miller started when San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro tweeted public information about local San Antonio business leaders who made big financial donations to President Donald Trump's re-election campaign.
Sad to see so many San Antonians as 2019 maximum donors to Donald Trump — the owner of @BillMillerBarBQ, owner of the @HistoricPearl, realtor Phyllis Browning, etc.
— Joaquin Castro (@Castro4Congress) August 6, 2019
Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders.’ pic.twitter.com/YT85IBF19u
Among them, Balous Miller, former CEO of Bill Miller BBQ Enterprises.
When the Bexar County Democrats first announced they would vote on a proposed boycott, Wolff weighed in and called that a huge mistake.
"You're affecting the lives of some 5,000 people who work for Bill Miller with some unnecessary boycott," he said. The company has a very good record here in San Antonio. They've given away millions of dollars. They treat their employees fair, so I think it's terribly wrong to do that."
Wolff — himself a Democrat — said without the support of the Miller family there would not be a downtown University of Texas at San Antonio. The Millers bought the failed Fiesta Mall downtown and donated the land to UTSA.
Wolff said he understands the reaction to the news about the donations to the Trump campaign. He emphasized that he was no supporter of Donald Trump.
However, Wolff said he was opposed to scorched-earth politics. He added the San Antonio City Council's Chick-fil-A airport decision was a mistake.
Wolff said it would be more productive to reach out and talk to each other rather than call for boycotts.
David Martin Davies can be reached at DMDavies@TPR.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi.
