Updated 4 p.m.
San Antonio District 2 Councilman William "Cruz" Shaw is resigning. Rather than a special election, Shaw said his seat will be filled by an appointment selected by the City Council.
“I didn’t want to spend taxpayer dollars on multiple elections,” he said. “Once we figured out this was the move, we were going to make sure we only had one election process.”
The first-term councilman is being appointed to an associate judgeship for Bexar County’s 436th Juvenile District Court, under Judge Lisa Jarrett, to "work with juveniles who have found their way into the criminal justice system."
“Most importantly, I want to make sure whoever fills this seat is doing it for the right reason — not about politics, but about coming to serve the constituents in District 2 as well as the city of San Antonio,” he said.
Shaw will replace the current associate Judge Yvonne Gomez, who is married to incoming Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales.
“She can no longer serve in the position because of the conflict, so she will have to vacate that position as of Jan. 1, leaving it open," Shaw said. "So the judge contacted me and asked if I was interested.”
Nirenberg gave high praise to Shaw.
“Cruz is a no-nonsense leader who will be missed at City Hall,” he said. “His quick wit and incisive analysis of the issues have been a tremendous asset. He has done a great job representing District 2 and the city as a whole. I have no doubt that he will be a great judge and I wish him the best.”
All 10 members of City Council and the mayor are up for re-election in May. Shaw was elected to office in June of 2017 in a run-off election against the incumbent Councilman Alan Warrick. Shaw’s last day on the council will be Jan. 7.
Depending on the length of the District 2 appointment process, the council might also be going through the process of selecting a new city manager. Applications for that job opened up Thursday.
READ | Councilman Cruz Shaw's resignation letter
Joey Palacios can be reached at joey@tpr.org or on Twitter @joeycules
