District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry ended months of speculation Thursday after he issued a statement saying he would not seek a fourth term for San Antonio’s Northeast Side council district.
Perry's decision comes one day before candidate filing closes for the May 6 election. The councilman admitted to being involved in a car crash on Nov. 6 but has stopped short of providing many details on his own about what happened that night.
He took a short leave of absence from the council shortly after the incident that lasted about a month and a half.
In his statement, Perry said serving as District 10 councilman was one of the greatest joys of his life.
“I feel the time has come for me to step aside and continue to ensure my neighbors are the priority,” he said. “Anything less could be a distraction from the work that still needs to be done to move District 10 forward. Rest assured, this is not the end of my public service, and I will continue to advocate for issues that are important to District 10, only in a different way.”
The statement made no mention about the crash. Perry declined to comment at City Hall early Thursday morning.
Perry has since appeared in court for the charges for a brief hearing in front of Judge Yolanda Huff. His next court appearance is set for March 8. According to an affidavit, Perry allegedly ordered 14 drinks in the span of four hours at the Evil Olive bar not far from his home.
Police body cam footage at his home shortly after the accident was released by San Antonio police a few days after the crash.
Breaking: Councilman @district10perry will not seek re-election after his alleged hit-and-run in November lead to two charges including a DWI
— Joey Palacios - Texas Public Radio (@Joeycules) February 16, 2023
Perry declined to comment when I saw him at city hall this morning.
Candidate filing for the May election closes tomorrow. @TPRNews pic.twitter.com/9nvBwUX9aP
As of Thursday, four candidates had formally filed for the District 10 seat.
The candidates so far include:
- Marc Whyte; a business attorney
- Joel Solis, who had applied for the temporary council position while Perry was on a leave of absence.
- Madison Gutierrez; a social media advertiser
- Margaret Sherwood; a property manager
Whyte filed his candidacy at City Hall early Thursday morning. He said he spoke with Perry earlier in the week about his decision to not seek a final term. He may receive Perry’s endorsement for the seat.
When asked about the conservative slant of the district in most city council votes and positions, Whyte said if elected he would likely continue that.
“I’m certainly going to be a vote for small business, I'm certainly going to be a vote for supporting police and low crime, and I’m certainly going to be a vote for keeping taxes low, so if that’s a conservative vote, yes that’s me,” he said. “Do I want to be the lone vote? Absolutely not.”
Perry has often been the lone conservative vote during the current San Antonio City Council and is often the only ‘no’ vote on certain social issues.
With the filing deadline on Friday, it’s possible more candidates could file on the final day with no incumbent in the race.
