Former Metropolis Corridor chief of workers Ivalis Meza Gonzalez beat out conservative legal professional Paula McGee 57.4% to 42.7%% within the District 8 council runoff Saturday night time.
Meza Gonzalez, 43, who grew up entrenched in Democratic politics from a younger age, took a commanding lead within the first spherical of a six-way council race.
Her mom, “Choco” González Meza, was a longtime voting rights advocate, La Raza Unida activist, native Democratic Occasion chair, and the inspiration for her daughter’s political profession.
“My mom taught me the significance of group and civic engagement,” Meza Gonzalez, 43, stated in an October 2024 speech lined by La Prensa. “Her life’s work wasn’t only a profession; it was a calling. And now, it’s my flip to hold that torch ahead.”
Amid a number of unusually polarized runoffs for nonpartisan seats, nevertheless, this yr Meza Gonzalez discovered herself distancing from the Democratic model, whereas her opponent, McGee, 66, was a part of a slate of candidates campaigning with Republicans and calling for a conservative reboot at Metropolis Corridor.
Meza Gonzalez stated she took a step away from partisan labels to give attention to the town stage points voters advised her they cared about.
She’s going to substitute term-limited Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8), a left-leaning political average.
“Folks had been actually simply wanting to know how their cash is being spent. They usually needed to speak about building points, public questions of safety, points taking place within the metropolis as an entire,” stated Meza Gonzalez at her watch occasion at an workplace area off Wurzbach Street.
“And that was essential to me — that folk knew that no matter label it’s, it’s nearly attending to work, proper?”
A political household
Coming from a household that’s labored alongside state and nationwide Democratic figures for many years, expectations for Meza Gonzalez have lengthy been excessive.
She labored her manner up in Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s workplace, beginning as a director of coverage and public engagement in 2018, ending as his chief of workers function and incomes the San Antonio Enterprise Journal’s 40 underneath 40 “2021 Lady of the 12 months” award.
Regardless of that, Meza Gonzalez completed third in her first political bid within the 2022 Democratic major to exchange Bexar County Decide Nelson Wolff.
“You study much more out of your losses,” she stated Saturday. “For me, it was about simply having an extended runway to actually get to know the district higher than I knew it.”
On this yr’s race her father, Daniel Meza, additionally a civil rights activist, ran the telephone financial institution and was a prolific block-walker. San Antonio political marketing consultant Laura Barberena, who labored on Meza Gonalez’s mom’s outdated occasion chair marketing campaign, was the final marketing consultant.
“She’s a illustration of labor that takes generations,” Barbarena stated of Meza Gonzalez, pointing to the efforts her dad and mom put in pushing for single-member districts in San Antonio.
As quickly as early voting outcomes had been launched Saturday, dozens of individuals packed right into a small workplace area off Wurzbach Street for Meza Gonzalez’ watch occasion erupted into applause.
“She did it!” somebody yelled from the group. Solely moments later, Meza Gonzalez walked in, instantly bombarded with hugs, handshakes and congratulations.
Standing beside her father, Meza Gonzalez took a second to thank her marketing campaign workers, household and late mom for her win, describing her mother as a “sturdy angel” who has accompanied Meza Gonzalez via her political path.
“This implies the world to us … We labored actually arduous during the last 15 months, and now we will benefit from the night time and have a good time with household, volunteers, pals — all people that made this doable. District 8 residents put me right here,” she stated.
All through the race Meza Gonzalez was the title to beat, taking the brunt of the assaults from different candidates who known as her a lobbyist, a continuation of the Nirenberg period and accused her of pretending to be a lawyer. (Meza Gonzalez acquired a legislation diploma, however by no means practiced legislation.)
Now, she joins the council as some of the politically skilled members, in a district that’s launched previous members to different management alternatives.
“My understanding of native authorities is what I believe voters are searching for — it’s what residents are asking for,” Meza Gonzalez advised the Report. “District 8 is simply too essential to sort of await anyone to do any type of coaching there. It’s received to get to work on day one, and I’m prepared to try this.
Late Saturday night time, Meza Gonzalez stepped away from the occasion to take a congratulatory name from Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
“Tonight can be a testomony to the work he did,” she stated.
A conservative challenger
McGee stayed out of the fray within the first spherical and saved her playing cards shut on partisan points, however dealing with an uphill runoff, she picked up lots of the different contenders’ criticisms of Meza Gonzalez and campaigned alongside a slate of Republican-backed candidates this yr.
Over at McGee’s watch occasion held at Luce Ristorante E Enoteca, the temper was heavy-hearted inside minutes after early voting outcomes.
“I used to be surprised,” McGee stated. “Actually not what we anticipated to see based mostly on what we had been listening to from voters on the polls all through the early voting … however you understand, the voters converse and I respect that.”
Resigned, McGee stated she was grateful for the chance to run for workplace and can discover a completely different strategy to serve the D8 residents.
“It’s about public service. So, I’ll follow legislation greater than I’ve been, for certain, in the previous few months, after which I’ll discover one other place the place I can serve the group, as a result of that’s who I’m.”
