By Maggie Ryan and Rocky Garza Jr.
Early Saturday night, District 1 Councilman Roberto Treviño found himself facing defeat as challenger Mario Bravo accumulated a 3-point lead as initial results rolled in at 7 p.m.
By the end of the evening, Bravo had grown his lead to 53.6% (4,036 votes) to Treviño’s 46.4% total (3,497). Although Treviño did not concede Saturday night, the 7-point lead all but assured Bravo will be the next District 1 representative on the City Council.
Bravo, who works at the Environmental Defense Fund as a project manager, and grew up in San Antonio, struck a proletariat tone at his watch party at the Backyard on Broadway.
“Thank you to the community of District 1 for coming out and supporting our vision—a vision of representation,” Bravo said. “You can call me Bravo, you can call me Mario. I don’t want you to call me councilman.”
Earlier in the evening, when Bravo arrived at his election watch party, he was greeted inside by a crowd of supporters chanting “Bravo! Bravo!”
Treviño left his election night party at The Lonesome Rose without addressing the crowd before departing. In a statement released Sunday morning, Treviño talked about the work his office had done with affordable housing and housing aid during the pandemic.
“I am sad that my time on City Council is coming to a close,” Treviñõ said. “However, I leave this position proud of the efforts made to ensure a true social safety net was offered.”
He then congratulated Bravo.
“I extend my sincerest congratulations to my opponent, Mario Bravo,” he said. “The responsibilities that come with this role are no small feat. I wish them the best of luck in their time as a City Council member. The work must continue and be a reflection of the needs for our community.”
On May 1, Bravo forced a runoff by capturing 33.6% of the votes in a race in which Treviño faced five challengers. On that night, Treviño gained 44.9% of the vote.
Treviño has served on the City Council since 2014.
In the days leading up to the runoff, Treviño and Bravo spend a collective $200,000, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Election results can be viewed here.
[ Related: Treviño, Bravo head to run-off in District 1 race ]
San Antonio native Maggie Ryan is pursuing a bachelor’s of arts in English Language and Literature/Letters at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. She is interning at the Heron through Students + Startups, a program by the 80/20 Foundation that pairs undergrad students with local companies and nonprofits. She can be reached at maggie@saheron.com
Rocky Garza Jr. is a freelance journalist in San Antonio and co-editor of The Ranger at San Antonio College. Follow him at @rockssjr on Twitter