In an effort to keep our readers as informed as possible for the May 1 election, we asked all mayoral candidates how they feel about some of the inner city’s most pressing issues, and specific items on the ballot.
Incumbent Mayor Ron Nirenberg is once again facing challenger and former councilman Greg Brockhouse, along with a slew of other contenders.
As a reminder, early voting begins April 19, Monday, and ends April 27, Tuesday. Voting on election day—May 1, Saturday—takes place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit the city’s election page for more info.
» Gary Allen
» John Martin Velasquez
» Antonio Diaz
» Tim Atwood
The answers have been edited for punctuation, style and egregious grammatical errors.
Gary Allen
What is your job, or how do you earn a living?
Retired teacher. I spent 30 years mainly at the high school level as a teacher and a principal.
What is your age?
Not important.
Where were you born?
I was born in Amarillo, Texas. I have lived in the San Antonio area for 25 years and within San Antonio for eight years.
What district do you live in? What neighborhood?
Tanglewood near DeZavala and I-10. I live in District 8.
What qualifies you to hold this position?
I spent 30 years as an educator and worked with a variety of people including school boards and citizens and businesses in the community. This gave me a rich experience in dealing with conflict management, brainstorming groups to find successful solutions, listening to different points of view, and persuasive debate to achieve success. This is for more important for a government official than just being a business owner.
What is your background in politics?
I have never held public office, which is good. I haven’t been corrupted.
What is the biggest issue facing San Antonio, and how do you plan to address it? What’s one issue you feel San Antonio City Council isn’t paying attention to?
The present city government was too harsh in the Covid lockdown. The mayor went beyond the guidelines of the governor in both severity and time. Over 1,200 businesses folded. Tens of thousands of people were unemployed. Savings were destroyed. Dreams were shattered. Constitutional rights were stamped upon. This is unacceptable in the name of safety. This virus has a fatality rate if .05% which is less than the flu. Masks have been used to strike fear into people and muzzle the citizens with something that many studies have shown they don’t work. Fear and control was goal and it certainly worked. It will take a long time to recover. Many cities with conservative mayors faired much better. Now we have to get businesses, schools, and employment back on track. Another issue is defunding the police. This is a horrible idea. I am opposed to Prop B 100%. And finally, we need a more transparent mayor that responds to all the citizens and not to a few special groups.
What do you think of the proposed charter amendment that would broaden how voter-approved bond dollars can be spent? Do you support or oppose the amendment? Explain your position.
Horrible idea. This would give the City Council less accountability to the citizens. It basically is giving them a blank check to spend how they feel without citizen input. This leads to corruption.
How do you think the Alamo master planning process should proceed?
The whole fiasco of the Alamo Plaza has been ramrodded down the throats of the citizens. As a designer, I could have done a better job. There is nothing wrong with giving the plaza a facelift, but the proposal of moving the cenotaph was something that should have never been proposed. Again, it is an example of the mayor not listening to the people.
Do you support or oppose Proposition B, the measure that would repeal police officers’ collective bargaining power and thus the right to negotiate contracts with the city? Explain your position.
I oppose Prop B 100%. This would lead to defunding the police, having a less effective police department, cause officers to leave for other places, and make San Antonio a much less safe place to live.
What is your opinion of the city’s role in incentivizing large-scale apartment developments in the downtown area and in the regional centers identified in the SA Tomorrow plan? What role do you believe San Antonio should play in incentivizing affordable housing?
We need to take a conservative approach so as not to burden taxpayers. SA Tomorrow plan is good to a degree, but take it in small steps or San Antonio could end up bailing failed plans for buildings. An example is the Grand Hyatt Hotel. I believe it is good to create beautiful places for the community and businesses. It is not good to have too many irons in the fire. I also believe it is feasible to development of the area north of the Alamodome and try to attract the right person to bring an NFL team to San Antonio. The NFL is looking for expansion and San Antonio would be a good place. The Alamodome can be upgraded without taxpayer burden. It just finding the right billionaire with an ego.
Affordable housing is an issue in San Antonio. Every effort should be looked at to solve this issue.
One thing we do not need is to grow rapidly. This is what happened to Houston in the ’70s and ’80s which caused many problems and led to bad management.
What is one thing the city can do to increase transparency in local government or to better engage its citizens?
Citizen action groups. I as a mayor can spend full-time in addressing citizen needs. Transparency is essential in a well functioning city government. I would be out in communities looking at needs and holding town halls at different areas of the city.
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John Martin Velasquez
What is your job, or how do you earn a living?
I am a licensed clinical psychologist.
What is your age?
I am a baby boomer, child of the ’60s, and my political label is Chicano. That should tell you my age.
Where were you born?
I was born and raised in Abilene, Texas.
What district do you live in? What neighborhood?
For the past 22 years I have lived in District 2. We live in the East Terrell Hills neighborhood.
What qualifies you to hold this position?
I am the only candidate who knows the people of San Antonio. I know the true life histories of over 10,000 San Antonio residents from all walks of life, those above and below the median income. I have worked with people from ZIP codes all over the city. I have researched and studied the lives of people in San Antonio in peer reviewed journals and conferences. I am a scientist. I am an expert in human behavior and mental health. I know how the impact of the response to the virus has harmed the mental health of San Antonio. I know the mental health approaches that will bring San Antonio out of the mental illness caused by current leaders’ response to the virus. I will include all of science in the pursuit of health. I am the only candidate who understands health. I have a professional code of conduct that minimizes harm to people. I would never have agreed to a lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic. I knew the data at the time. That response was certain to harm most in San Antonio. I have a history of consulting across scientific disciplines, not just a few scientific areas, all of them. San Antonio should be one of the healthiest cities in the United States. I am not beholden to the top 1% of San Antonio wealth. I have no contributions from this small segment of San Antonio. My decisions and actions will work for the majority of San Antonio, and I will bring equity to the treatment of San Antonio residents.
What is your background in politics?
I have been a campaign volunteer in dozens of political campaigns over the years: George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Jim Mattox, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and various local races. I have been state delegate at several conventions, including as delegate for Michael Dukakis and Bernie Sanders. I ran for mayor of San Antonio in 2017, and 2019 when I ran third to Nirenberg and Brockhouse, effectively forcing the runoff. After Nirenberg asked for my formal support in 2019, he won the runoff by a very narrow margin. Also, in October 2001, I published a commentary in the San Antonio Express-News condemning the attack on Afghanistan. While at the time I was demonized by most people, I was correct in predicting that the response to 9/11 was the problem. We got two major trillion-dollar wars that killed and injured hundreds of thousands of military and civilian lives. Department of Homeland Security that brought us loss of privacy, sold to the highest bidder through Facebook. We got ICE which led to separation of families at the southern border. Now the same leadership from 2001 has brought the response to the virus. The magnitude of harm caused by the response to the virus is broader than the virus itself.
What is the biggest issue facing San Antonio, and how do you plan to address it? What’s one issue you feel San Antonio City Council isn’t paying attention to?
There is no money, no programs for mental health. This is a catastrophic failure on the part of Metro Health to protect the health of San Antonio. The bias against mental health and the sheer neglect of mental health attention and brain science is appalling. Mental health is everything from improved overall health, improved work performance, improved family functioning, increase academic achievement, reduced crime, and reduced need to lockdown the city “to be safe.” For every dollar spent on mental health, there is a $7 return. We can create a city-owned mental health system through a ⅛-cent sales tax. This model has already worked, i.e. PreK4SA. To address equity, the first clinics would be located in at risk zip codes. Services would be provided for free regardless of ability to pay or not pay. The need for mental health services is so great and since the mental health of San Antonio has been ignored for so long, we need move on his matter in the first 100 days of my administration and clinics would be up and running in 10 zip codes by the end of 2021.
What do you think of the proposed charter amendment that would broaden how voter-approved bond dollars can be spent? Do you support or oppose the amendment? Explain your position.
I oppose this proposal. It does nothing to stop the harmful gentrification policies and practices of developers and their city supporters. This proposal would require government to do even more to support profits of developers who bring harm to inner cities and the environment. Developers need to provide affordable housing from the profits and tax breaks that they already get from city government. Equity means that developers do their fair share of creating affordable housing.
How do you think the Alamo master planning process should proceed?
Freeze the entire process. There are too many problems and too many people involved with widely varying opinions. Just because a process was started and “funded” does not mean it’s a good idea. Follow the money. This is a developers’ project, and that’s not necessarily in the best interest of the people of San Antonio.
Do you support or oppose Proposition B, the measure that would repeal police officers’ collective bargaining power and thus the right to negotiate contracts with the city? Explain your position.
Collective bargaining is a hard fought gain for any labor union. It is the hallmark of a union’s strength to protect its workers. And when a labor sector is protected we all gain from that. An additional advantage of labor unions is to establish health and safety standards to protect its workers in the workplace. With a police labor union, we are talking about a group of workers that “work” in the entire city environment. This adds additional risk to that labor sector. Yet, the labor has a direct impact on all other citizens of San Antonio. Just as health and safety standards are meant to protect workers, they are also intended to protect the health and safety of the public. Workers in protection of their own health and safety cannot also put the public at risk. We need to reduce crime as the solution to this problem. The best way to reduce crime is to improve the mental health of the public and the police labor organization and all other police officers. Mental health methods can help prevent persons from entering the academy who are at risk to the health and safety of the public.
What is your opinion of the city’s role in incentivizing large-scale apartment developments in the downtown area and in the regional centers identified in the SA Tomorrow plan? What role do you believe San Antonio should play in incentivizing affordable housing?
Enough with new development at the expense of current residents. Stop pushing people away from their ancestral homes. That’s disrespectful of indigenous and natives of this area of Texas. We must maintain these original habitats. Refurbish existing housing with original owners intact. End the systemic use of San Antonio residents for the profits of developers, too many from out of town.
What is one thing the city can do to increase transparency in local government or to better engage its citizens?
Make all communications within the city available live streamed and posted for public view as communications are happening. The public should not have to wait for information or have to make special requests via FOIC. This keeps the public many steps behind city government that is spending millions of public monies daily. The public should have been consulted prior to the decision to lockdown the city. Why was that kept secret? The city leadership knew that if the public had a choice, we would not have chosen the lockdown. We could have found a way that did not endanger BIPOC persons in San Antonio. We need to call out these leaders who decided for us such draconian, health worsening “health” measures. Leaders need to openly admit that their decisions have worsened all aspects of city life.
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Antonio Diaz
What is your job, or how do you earn a living?
I’ve been a human and civil rights activist for 30 years. Founder of Cesar E. Chavez March for Justice in San Antonio, founder of Texas Indigenous Council Indigenous Dignity Day Human Rights March. I drove a taxi for 20 years and was a licensed vocational nurse for 10 years. I presently work for a retail store.
What is your age?
I’m 67 years old.
Where were you born?
I’ve been told I was born in Sweetwater, Texas, en route to San Antonio.
What district do you live in? What neighborhood?
Presently in District 1, but have lived in Districts 2 and 3 in the past 30 years.
What qualifies you to hold this position?
As a human and civil rights activist I have addressed many issues from private immigration prisons to public housing. I’ve been a volunteer voter registrar for at least three decades. I organized voter registration drives inside Bexar County jail, had meetings with once Bexar County Commissioners Court Judge Cyndi Krier over public housing during the late 1990s when Clinton terminated public housing, ended welfare that impacted the mental health service provided to low income and indigent people. I continue to protest what our city describes as affordable housing. By no means does it qualify as affordable with the wages paid by private employers in San Antonio. I’ve held meetings with present day City Manager Eric Walsh over SAPOA and city police contracts, the lack of transparency on discipline files of police officers. My life as a low-income wage earner gives me insight to the changes needed in our city’s governing in order to give more opportunities to people that walk in my shoes.
What is your background in politics?
I’m the Bexar County Green Party co-chair. I’ve run for City Council, mayor and Congress unsuccessfully, yet I’ve learned from my activism about many issues caused from legislation, ordinances codes how important it is for all sectors of the constituency to be represented. I’ve yet to see representation of the working poor class. I’m that candidate.
What is the biggest issue facing San Antonio, and how do you plan to address it? What’s one issue you feel San Antonio City Council isn’t paying attention to?
The Covid-19 virus currently impacts all facets of our lives. Having been a nurse I understand how health issues impact everyone. Employment and low wages is a major concern since the cost of living rises but wages don’t. ERCOT and entities like it shouldn’t have control of services vital to citizens without the ability to hold them responsible. I would get out of ERCOT and get into the national grid. Police misconduct and the lack of transparency and accountability has been an issue for many decades that not even the creation of a civilian police review board has been able to solve or alleviate. Perhaps the current petition placing the bargaining agreement on the May election ballot will have the impact of a better contract with police officers association.
What do you think of the proposed charter amendment that would broaden how voter-approved bond dollars can be spent? Do you support or oppose the amendment? Explain your position.
I tentatively support the amendment, because Mayor Nirenberg’s concept of affordable isn’t realistic for San Antonios low wages. Land banking must also be limited. If the city gains land rights to an impoverished homeowners’ land to sell to developers that build within that same impoverished neighborhood, that leads to nothing but removals of residents by gentrification. The language must tilt towards helping residents remaining in their homes without the property appraisals going sky high causing home owners and renter’s to pay high property taxes and extremely high rents.
How do you think the Alamo master planning process should proceed?
I’m in support of Councilman Treviño. He’s been the point person for the last six years and tried to include the whole history of that area not just history from the 1836 controversial Battle of the Alamo. We are still in Covid pandemic mode. Any money our city budget targets for the stalled Alamo reconstruction should go to bolster our infrastructure addressing the pandemic not wasting money on what seems to be a failed proposal.
Do you support or oppose Proposition B, the measure that would repeal police officers’ collective bargaining power and thus the right to negotiate contracts with the city? Explain your position.
I support it only because the SAPOA protects bad police officers and won’t work on language to alleviate the removal of bad actors on their own. The city needs to regain some leverage in order to resolve that problem.
What is your opinion of the city’s role in incentivizing large-scale apartment developments in the downtown area and in the regional centers identified in the SA Tomorrow plan? What role do you believe San Antonio should play in incentivizing affordable housing?
I whole heartedly believe in affordable housing. However, what Mayor Nirenberg created isn’t affordable housing. So no I don’t support anymore incentives for developers that are pricing out many low income wage earners from living downtown and the immediate surrounding areas. We don’t need to give to the rich that continue to disenfranchise the working people of San Antonio.
What is one thing the city can do to increase transparency in local government or to better engage its citizens?
When this Covid nightmare subsides our government must reopen City Hall for the public. Conduct City Council meetings that allow for public signups into the noon hour as it used to before Hardberger changed the scheduling. The early hour public sign up for City Council A session has discouraged many in what was already a poorly public attended A session. I would also televise the public opinion sessions held Wednesday evenings.
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Tim Atwood
What is your job, or how do you earn a living?
I am a secondary school teacher.
What is your age?
I just turned 67 last month.
Where were you born?
Wilmington, North Carolina
What district do you live in? What neighborhood?
District 8, Medical Center
What qualifies you to hold this position?
I am qualified to be mayor, because I believe in the preeminence of integrity, and I am committed to standing on the side of truth, wherever that leads me. The best way to protect democracy is to elect leaders who stand for integrity, honesty, character, and truth, because adherence to the truth will set us free to do the right thing.
What is your background in politics?
I’ve never held a public office. I ran for mayor of San Antonio in 2019.
What is the biggest issue facing San Antonio, and how do you plan to address it? What’s one issue you feel San Antonio City Council isn’t paying attention to?
There are several big issues.
1. Continued recovery from the Covid pandemic: It should be addressed by facilitating the resiliency of small businesses, undergirding workforce training programs, aiding and educating the public with respect to landlord/tenant mitigation, and coordinating efforts that promote health care.
2. Proposition B: I oppose the proposition that seeks to strip our police of all collective bargaining powers. I will continue to oppose it and work with the police and sheriff departments to identify and implement best practices, accountability, and transparency.
One issue that the council doesn’t seem to be paying enough attention to is the fact that 20% of our residents live at or below the poverty level. There is a lot of focus on development that continues to widen the equity and economic gaps. For example, I talked to a resident who said that they have been trying to get sidewalks in her neighborhood for 50 years. That’s a shame.
What do you think of the proposed charter amendment that would broaden how voter-approved bond dollars can be spent? Do you support or oppose the amendment? Explain your position.
I support the amendment. The main concern I have is related to the potential depletion of funds that would have otherwise gone to infrastructure improvements. However, Covid-19 has created a new economic reality in many ways. I believe that a new level of flexibility is warranted in order to meet the plethora of needs. We must strive for a balanced approach.
How do you think the Alamo master planning process should proceed?
I agree with the Texas Historical Commission’s rejection of the plan to move the Cenotaph. I don’t think that it should have been on the master plan agenda in the first place. Why tamper with something that so many thousands consider to be sacred ground? Now that the decision has been made, the planning process should focus on “necessary” elements such as the repair and restoration of the Long Barrack and Alamo church.
Do you support or oppose Proposition B, the measure that would repeal police officers’ collective bargaining power and thus the right to negotiate contracts with the city? Explain your position.
I do not support Proposition B. The tragic death of George Floyd triggered a visceral reaction around the world, among all races, nationalities, and ethnicities. I believe that “Fix-SAPD” is going too far in trying to address certain societal ills. It is an overcompensation. I think that it is a mistake to try to punish SAPD for what happened in Minneapolis. Police need to be held accountable, but they also need our support. Let’s “not throw the baby out with the bath water.”
What is your opinion of the city’s role in incentivizing large-scale apartment developments in the downtown area and in the regional centers identified in the SA Tomorrow plan? What role do you believe San Antonio should play in incentivizing affordable housing?
The city masterplan has designated areas to be single-family home neighborhoods, yet the city keeps giving developers permission to build apartments right next door. This leads to higher property taxes and contributes to the growing problem of gentrification. The council needs to get better at saying “no” to developers.
What is one thing the city can do to increase transparency in local government or to better engage its citizens?
The way to increase transparency is to be transparent. This applies to the city, and the media as well. For example, don’t tell us how great San Antonio is doing without reminding us that the San Antonio metropolitan area has the highest poverty rate in the country, out of the 25 largest metro areas. Don’t report that homicides are down, without reporting that rapes and domestic violence are up. Don’t proclaim that the rainbow crosswalk was privately funded, without acknowledging that the city spent $12,000 on it.
Finally, thinking back to a year ago, don’t keep saying to the low-income neighborhood that is protesting, that you’ve recommended to the company who owns the nursing homes, that it should send the Covid-19 patients to another location, when you know that the final decision has already been made. In other words, transparency, or the lack thereof, should not conveniently serve a particular agenda, or be used to make the mayor or the council look good.
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Dan Martinez and Denise Gutierrez-Homer responded to our questionnaire, but did so in formats that were not editable.
Jacq’ue “J.” Miller, Justin Macaluso, Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Michael “Commander” Idrogo, Greg Brockhouse, Ray Basaldua, Joshua James Galvan, and Tim Atwood did not respond to our questionnaire.
Compiled by Jolie Francis, a Heron intern this spring; and Ben Olivo, Heron editor.
Contact the Heron at hello@saheron.com | @sanantonioheron on Twitter | Facebook
At the end of the article, you stated who replied and who did not. No mention of Frank Adams Munoz in the article, and you stated that Tim Atwood did not reply. I think there is an error in your statement or you put up the wrong picture/name with Atwoods’ reply.