San Antonio’s mayoral race heated up Tuesday as eight of the town’s 27 candidates got here out swinging at a debate hosted by the San Antonio Report and the Higher San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
San Antonio councilmembers Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4), Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6), Manny Pelaez (D8) and John Braveness (D9), have been joined by former councilman Clayton Perry (D10), plus native tech entrepreneur Beto Altamirano, former Air Power Below Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos.
The talk stage made up of eight of the race’s main candidates was chosen contemplating native polling, fundraising throughout 2024 and 2025 and endorsements.
The candidates took eight podiums on the Carver Group Cultural Heart in a randomized order and gave their views on points like public security, schooling and financial growth within the fast-paced occasion, moderated by San Antonio Report authorities and politics reporter Andrea Drusch.
The 90-minute debate was a transparent conflict between these with earlier council expertise and the handful of newer faces on the native political stage who’ve been taking over a lot of the political oxygen within the race to this point.
Rocha Garcia, Cabello Havrda, Pelaez and Braveness defended their expertise and data of metropolis governance — in a number of solutions pointedly questioning the others’ readiness for the job of San Antonio mayor — whereas Pablos, Altamirano and Ortiz Jones criticized the incumbents for failing to deal with current points like poverty and crime.
Their opening remarks included large swings from a number of of the candidates, together with a swipe by Cabello Havrda that included calling Pelaez “la chancla, the flip-flopper of points,” and Braveness encouraging the a number of hundred attendees who to not vote for, which means those that are new to metropolis politics.
“You don’t get an engineering diploma, go to GM and say, ‘I wish to be just right for you, however I would like the job of CEO,’” Braveness mentioned later within the debate. “You’ve obtained to study what’s happening and be a part of the answer, as an alternative of standing on the surface and saying all these issues that you would be able to’t repair.”
At one level, Braveness aimed a thinly veiled assault at Altamirano, saying youthful candidates elected to mayor must “really feel their approach via for a yr and a half,” whereas Perry dogpiled on the newcomers by calling them “shiny toys.”
To date, Ortiz Jones, Altamirano and Pablos have led the race in fundraising, together with Pelaez, who loaned his marketing campaign $324,000 in time to point out up on final week’s marketing campaign finance report.
Ortiz Jones, who led the solely unbiased polling on the race by UTSA in February, nodded to her expertise main the Division of the Air Power, comprised of the U.S. Air Power and U.S. House Power, overseeing the Division’s annual funds of greater than $173 billion.
Altamirano, the 35-year-old founding father of tech startup Irys, is from the Rio Grande Valley. He spent his early profession working in Democratic politics and cited his expertise rising his firm in San Antonio as the explanation he’ll be capable of make strategic investments in financial growth for the town.
And Pablos, who has been on the receiving finish of a multi-million greenback effort by a Gov. Greg Abbott-aligned political motion committee to construct a bench of conservative allies in Texas cities, at one level famous that it was Abbott, not Pelaez, who introduced the roles to San Antonio that Pelaez had simply referred to.
Altamirano and Ortiz Jones took fast intention on the present and former councilmembers, questioning their effectiveness in addressing longstanding points like rising housing prices, transportation and public well being.
“I feel it’s time to deal with the elephant within the room, and that’s pervasive poverty, generational poverty, systemic poverty,” Pablos mentioned. “Sixty years in the past, the poverty price in San Antonio was 18%. Right this moment it’s 18% — nothing has modified. Damaged guarantees. We haven’t moved the needle.”
Challenge Marvel, crime and housing
Throughout a lightning spherical that requested candidates whether or not they may “champion” Challenge Marvel, a deliberate $4 billion downtown leisure district that might transfer the San Antonio Spurs again downtown from the East Aspect, the vast majority of candidates gave fast solutions — with lengthy caveats.
Altamirano, for instance, mentioned he helps it, however not with using public funds, whereas Braveness mentioned he helps what Challenge Marvel was: enhancements to the Alamodome, conference heart and current downtown district.
Pablos mentioned he needs to champion San Antonio’s neighborhoods, whereas Ortiz Jones mentioned she champions getting extra solutions concerning the challenge.
Pelaez mentioned if Challenge Marvel doesn’t profit each neighborhood in San Antonio, he’s not going to help it, including, “let the Spurs construct their very own rattling stadium.”
Cabello Havrda mentioned she helps it if its creation is community-led, Perry added he likes it however wouldn’t help taxpayer {dollars} going into it, and Rocha Garcia mentioned she helps it however want to see a public-private partnership that’s worthwhile.
Public security additionally dominated the dialog, with Rocha Garcia, Cabello Havrda, Pelaez and Braveness pointing to their information on crime discount, whereas the others questioned whether or not present insurance policies have been adequate to maintain San Antonio protected and handle considerations about public belief in regulation enforcement.
The price of housing in San Antonio was one other subject of debate.
Whereas some candidates talked about ongoing initiatives to extend reasonably priced housing, most agreed that extra drastic measures have been wanted to deal with the affordability hole, together with higher zoning insurance policies and extra aggressive efforts to forestall gentrification.
“Now we have to check out what has been working what hasn’t been working, however I suggest that now we have been specializing in the important thing points which might be vital and related to communities just like the East Aspect being not noted, and that features entry to schooling, entry to housing and entry to well being care,” Rocha Garcia mentioned.
As the talk drew to an in depth, candidates reaffirmed their dedication to San Antonio’s future and emphasised the necessity for sturdy, efficient management within the coming years.
After the talk, a few of the a whole lot of attendees left nonetheless feeling not sure of their votes. East Aspect resident Connie Rodriguez, 86, mentioned she loved the talk however stays undecided.
“I’m very eager about politics, and I wished to see what they supplied,” she mentioned of her attendance. “I actually loved it however I nonetheless have to analysis extra about every candidate.”
Husband and spouse duo Patricia and Cecilio Cisneros mentioned they’re hoping to see extra information protection about every candidate within the upcoming weeks, including the occasion was place to begin however noting there’s nonetheless rather a lot to study.
“We actually hope to see extra about this on the information in upcoming weeks,” Cecilio Cisneros mentioned.
For a full profile of the entire race’s 27 candidates, and to learn a Q&A with every of them, go to the San Antonio Report’s 2025 Voter Information.
Watch the complete debate:
