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San Antonio, meet your next mayor.

Gina Ortiz Jones defeated Rolando Pablos with 54.3% of the vote in the June 7 runoff for San Antonio’s top spot. The candidates were the last two standing out of a pool of 27 in the May 3 election, which happened on one of the city’s biggest nights of the year: the Fiesta Flambeau Parade.

Ortiz Jones succeeds Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who has served as mayor since 2017 and cannot seek re-election due to term limits. She’s only the third woman to lead the Alamo City, and will serve under the city council’s new four-year terms.

>> All runoff election results for San Antonio mayor, city council on June 7, 2025

Meanwhile, the two contenders for District 6 faced a tight race all night. Only 25 votes gave 24-year-old Ric Galvan the edge over Kelly Ann Gonzalez — and with that slim of a margin, a recount is likely.

Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew said there was a 17% voter turnout in this election. A total of 143,048 ballots were cast during eight days of early voting and on election day. Of those, 40,218 people voted on election day.

That’s more than 40,000 votes more than were cast in the May 3 election.

Here’s what happened in the June 7 runoff that also included races for City Council Districts 1, 6, 8 and 9:

Ortiz Jones’ first words as mayor-elect

The former Under Secretary of the United States Air Force addressed supporters at her election night party, declaring victory in the race.

>> SAN ANTONIO MAYOR RESULTS: Gina Ortiz Jones is the next mayor of San Antonio

We “reminded folks what San Antonio stands for. Didn’t we? We reminded them that our city is about compassion and it’s about leading with everybody in mind,” she told supporters at the end of the night.

Pablos, a former Texas Secretary of State and Public Utility Commissioner, conceded to Ortiz Jones.

“We tried. I want to thank everybody for your support. It was a tough race, and I’m just happy that everybody came together for this community,” he said.

This is the first time there has been an open mayoral seat in San Antonio since 2009, when Julian Castro was elected to his first term as mayor. (Nirenberg beat incumbent Mayor Ivy Taylor, who was appointed mayor when Castro was appointed to President Barack Obama’s cabinet.)

Ortiz Jones will be the first mayor to serve a four-year term in office instead of a two-year term after voters passed a city charter amendment in 2024 that changed all city council term limits from four two-year terms to two four-year terms.

Incumbent Sukh Kaur wins by a landslide

District 1 incumbent Sukh Kaur defeated opponent Patty Gibbons in the runoff race.

Kaur beat opponent Gibbons with 64.99% of the vote.

>> DISTRICT 1 RESULTS: Incumbent Sukh Kaur re-elected, defeats Patty Gibbons in June 7 runoff

Kaur told KSAT’s Daniela Ibarra on Saturday night, “I think we really talked to the community and shared that we want to work. And one of the things that we said is District 1 is about preserving our history while still moving our district forward.”

Ric Galvan wins by 25 votes in District 6

Ric Galvan claimed victory over Kelly Ann Gonzalez in the runoff race for District 6 by 25 votes.

>> DISTRICT 6 RESULTS: Ric Galvan wins by 25 votes over Kelly Ann Gonzalez in runoff election

With 100% of vote centers reporting, election results show Galvan secured 50.11% of the vote. Gonzalez ended the night with 49.89% of the vote.

Because of the thin margin, a possible recount may happen.

“I feel really good,” Galvan told KSAT’s Courtney Friedman. “You know, I knew it would be a close election; our campaign team knew that from the initial election.”

Gonzalez said that even with a loss, she will support Galvan and the betterment of the district. She asked that he keep the inner city mind.

“We’ve had the same generational poverty of the same rate — 18% — for the last six decades,“ she said, adding that the next leader should focus on education.

In the May 3 election, they were separated by 28 votes.

D8 has a new leader: Ivalis Meza Gonzalez

Ivalis Meza Gonzalez defeated opponent Paula McGee with 57.35% of the vote for District 8.

“All that work we did over the last 15 months brought us here,” Gonzalez said.

>> DISTRICT 8 RESULTS: Ivalis Meza Gonzalez wins City Council seat in June 7 runoff election

Gonzalez said the top priority is to ensure a smooth transition in District 8 by addressing any ongoing issues residents have with the councilmember’s office.

“I want to make sure that District 8 residents know that we’re working hard for them and that I’m working hard for them every day,” Gonzalez said.

In contrast, McGee expressed her disappointment but reflected positively on her campaign efforts.

“Well, I’m disappointed of course, but we I’m so proud of our campaign. I’m so thankful for our volunteers that were apart of it,” McGee said. “I’m really proud of all we accomplished and did. I’m surprised by the results at this point but we’re going to enjoy being together tonight and celebrate all we accomplished through the campaign.”

New D9 councilwoman Misty Spears ‘excited’

Misty Spears declared victory in the runoff race for District 9.

>> DISTRICT 9 RESULTS: Misty Spears defeats Angi Taylor Aramburu in June 7 runoff

Spears led opponent Angi Taylor Aramburu with 56.7% of the vote, with 100% of vote centers reporting.

“I’m thrilled. I’m excited, I’m so grateful to the voters,” Spears told KSAT’s Katrina Webber on election night. “I’m so excited for everything that we have before us for District 9.”

Spears said she’s going to focus on the “basics,” like public safety, infrastructure and economic growth. She also wants to reduce spending.

Aramburu said she hopes Spears “will listen to the community and provide the services that our district has come to expect.”

Consumer confidence is sinking, federal grants are in jeopardy and — if the Texas legislature has its way — municipal governments will soon have major restrictions on how and when they can borrow money.

Cuts to San Antonio’s city spending are starting to appear inevitable, according to presentations city staff delivered to reporters and council members this week, setting up one of the toughest and most pressing tests new city leaders will soon have to face.

For the first time in more than two decades, San Antonio is about to have a mayor with no previous experience on the council, as voters will choose between former Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos in the June 7 runoff.

The 10-member City Council will also have at least four brand-new members, as longtime incumbents either termed out or joined the mayor’s race instead of running for reelection. A fifth council seat is also in play in District 1, where the incumbent was pushed to a runoff.

Newcomers will be sworn in on June 17 — roughly three months out from a mid-September budget deadline that’s likely to include some tough spending decisions.

Councilman Jalen McKee Rodriguez (D2) during A session on Thursday. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report

“The outlook and the forecast is bleak,” said Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), who will be one of the council’s longest-serving members by the time the next budget is signed, in reaction to a city financial forecasting meeting Wednesday.

“It’s clear the next four years and this incoming council will experience conditions that are very different from the conditions many of us have navigated.”

Just how much trimming is needed has yet to be determined.

City Manager Erik Walsh told reporters Wednesday that consumer confidence is down, with losses reflected across all facets of usually reliable city revenue, including hotel occupancy tax, the airport development services and residential and commercial building permits.

Most significantly, he said, sales tax and property tax revenue are on track to come in about $10 million short of projections by the year’s end — something city leaders in Fort Worth and Austin are contending with as well.

“In the spirit of what’s happening nationally, there is a fair amount of uncertainty, and I think it’s evident in our revenue that people are being careful,” Walsh said.

At the same time, pending policies at the state and federal level could saddle the city with more expenses and fewer options to pay for them.

President Donald Trump took office in January and immediately sought to pump the brakes on federal grants, which currently pay for about 750 staff positions at the city and fund many of the city’s housing initiatives. They also fund many nonprofit services that the city has come to rely on, and might be asked to pay for if the federal money dries up.

At the state level, the Republican-led Texas legislature has San Antonio city leaders sounding the alarm over plans to rein in municipal debt — a move with major financial repercussions for a city that’s leaned hard on its AAA bond rating to borrow money for big infrastructure projects, including affordable housing.

Given the uncertainty of such proposals, Walsh said the city’s government affairs team is tracking them closely, but the budget writers haven’t yet factored them into their projections.

“This forecast does not make any assumptions about any potential legislative bills up in Austin that may impact us, nor does it take into account any potential changes in federal funding that may or may not happen,” Walsh said. “We didn’t make any assumptions about any of that stuff.”

A ‘compounding’ budget problem

Last year San Antonio’s nearly $4 billion fiscal year budget also required some belt-tightening to account for waning sales tax.

Given the size of the budget, Walsh said this year’s roughly $10 million shortfall alone won’t rock the city’s ability to continue delivering services this year, particularly with CPS Energy revenue coming in higher than expected.

But failing to realign the city’s spending and revenue would put it on an unsustainable path — even without potential state and federal headwinds.

Left unaddressed in the budget, the city estimates that this year’s shortfall would grow to $31 million by the 2026-2027 fiscal year, and $148 million by fiscal year 2027-2028.

“The changes in revenue are resulting in a manageable issue in this year’s budget,” Walsh said. “But more importantly, they’re compounding as we put together the forecast for the next five years.”

Zero-based budgeting?

Wrangling city spending will be almost certainly be among the toughest challenges the next mayor and San Antonio City Council have to navigate.

Even without specific cuts on the table at Wednesday’s budget forecast meeting, the discussion grew tense as council members reacted to a proposed budgeting process that would force each line item to be justified before it’s included in a future budget.

So-called “zero-based budgeting” was championed by the council’s lone conservative, Councilman Marc Whyte (D10), and gained enough support last year that the city hired a consultant to look into the idea.

This week representatives from Public Financial Management Company (PFM) presented their findings to the council as part of a broader budgeting recommendation that calls for city leaders to fine-tooth comb the budget once every five years, starting the calendar year after a city election.

As San Antonio transitions to four-year council terms this year, that means the new mayor and council would have several months to get up to speed, using the existing budget process this fall.

They would then spend nearly the entire next year working on an “in-depth comprehensive budget review” — a process that would repeat in 2030, after the next city election in 2029.

“The first year will be hard,” Walsh said to the council after the consultants’ presentation. “But I think we all need a little bit more leg room — council, staff, budget office, all of us — to make sure that we’re aligned [in our spending priorities].”

To guide those decisions, he said, the “underlying facets of it ought to be rooted back into what we can afford.”

A spending problem vs. revenue problem

Whether the city institutes the new budgeting process will be up to the next leaders.

The next budget meeting will be at the end of June, Walsh said. By then, the council could include an infusion of conservative or progressive voices, depending on the outcomes of the June 7 runoff elections.

If Wednesday’s meeting was any indication, the two camps are already fiercely divided.

Whyte heralded the zero-based budget proposal as a “historic day” that will lead to “a more transparent and accountable budgeting process.”

Councilmembers Phyllis Viagran (D3), Teri Castillo (D5) and McKee-Rodriguez, on the other hand, suggested the city wasn’t looking at the issue holistically.

McKee-Rodriguez said the PFM presentation singled out only parts of the budget for zero-based budgeting, while leaving other elements, like law enforcement, as essential services requiring less spending scrutiny.

“If you think that as a result of zero-based budgeting we’re going to identify waste in a meaningful way, we’re probably looking at the wrong departments,” McKee-Rodriguez said.

Castillo said her constituents wouldn’t agree with major spending cuts at the same time the city is trying to fund “vanity projects” like a new downtown entertainment district known as Project Marvel.

Several council members asked whether the city could raise its tax rate, if revenue comes in below the state’s 3.5% growth cap.

That option hasn’t really been given much consideration in the past, because property values had been rising rapidly since the state put the cap in place in 2021.

If top city staff has its way, however, raising the tax rate will not be a part of the path to financial solvency. Walsh was quick to clarify that nowhere in the city’s recommendations is there a call for increasing the property tax rate.

The race to become San Antonio’s next mayor is headed toward a partisan showdown between one candidate loved by national Democratic Party leaders and another who has close ties to the Republicans who control every lever of power in Texas state government.

With all vote centers counted, former Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos were leading a field of 27 candidates, taking 27.2% and 16.6% respectively.

Since no candidate took at least 50% of the vote, Jones and Pablos will advance to a June 7 runoff.

Jones has ties to major Democratic donors and lawmakers from two high-profile congressional races she narrowly lost. Many of those allies returned to help her in the mayoral race.

“It feels really good,” Jones said in an interview along the Flambeau Parade route Saturday night, where supporters high-fived her and stopped to take photos with the potential next mayor.

Gina Ortiz Jones celebrates with revelers after making the runoff election at the Fiesta Flambeau Parade late Saturday. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report

“This whole team has worked very hard and it was important for me to just kind of cherish this moment with them, because we know the work is not done,” she said before heading into Knockout Sports Bar with her campaign team.

“We’ve got 30 ahead of us to continue to show voters what I look forward to doing, in concert with the rest of the City Council, to make sure we move our city forward.”

Pablos, who was appointed to his secretary of state role by GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, had help in the race from a PAC run by the governor’s former political director.

From a watch party at Drury La Cantera’s old Spanish ballroom, Pablos acknowledged that electing a candidate with conservative background would be a major switch for blue San Antonio.

“I want to thank the people of San Antonio who spoke that they want change,” he said. “Our campaign has been based on change. We want to make sure that we take San Antonio in a completely different direction.”

Historically, San Antonio has shown preference for candidates with council experience. The city has elected just one mayor without it in 70 years — Phil Hardberger — making the dominance of City Hall outsiders in this race highly unusual.

Altamirano had the backing of former Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, and between his campaign and supporting PAC, called SA Future, a total of about $465,000 was spent on his behalf in the past month.

In his concession speech Saturday night, Altamirano thanked Wolff for believing in him, and suggested his political career might just be getting started.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m 35 years old, time is on my side,” said Altamirano, who started his career working in Democratic politics.

Mayoral candidate Beto Altamirano takes the podium to deliver a concession speech during his campaign party at Shotgun House Coffee Roasters on San Antonio’s West Side. Credit: Amber Esparza for the San Antonio Report

Pelaez, an attorney from the Northwest side, recently loaned his campaign more than $300,000 and has been getting help from an outside group that doesn’t have to disclose its donors.

Rocha Garcia, on the other hand, raised and spent very little on the race, relying on volunteer campaign help. She’s represented District 4 since 2021 and long been viewed as a potential rising star — if not for the fact that her Southwest district has some of the city’s lowest voter turnout.

Final results:

Former Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones 27.2%

Former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos: 16.61%

Tech entrepreneur Beto Altamirano 12.05%

Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4) 9.89%

Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8) 7.31%

Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6) 6.66%

Councilman John Courage (D9) 5.56%

Former Councilman Clayton Perry: 5.51%

An unusually crowded race

Mayor Ron Nirenberg termed out this year after eight years in the role, and lots of local political talent had been waiting for such an opportunity this year.

At the same time, Democrats and Republicans at the state and national level also set their sights on installing one of their own to lead a city they say has tremendous significance in their party’s future.

Texas’ big city mayors have steadily become less progressive as traditional liberal incumbents termed out, and all eyes will be on San Antonio as Jones and Pablos face off in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan race.

“A majority of the voters in an election with a fairly low turnout chose candidates who will not be in the runoff,” said Nirenberg’s chief of staff and political adviser Zack Lyke. “Both campaigns will need new strategies to make the case that they understand the job and are ready to hit the ground running.”

Mayoral candidate Rolando Pablos speaks to supporters during a watch party for election results at the Drury La Cantera on Saturday. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report

Jones is an outspoken progressive who would be the city’s first openly gay mayor. In the first round of the mayoral race she benefited from spending by a national PAC seeking to build a bench of future leaders in state and local races.

“I love how progressive she is, I love that she’s a woman, I love that she served in the military,” said Kendall Cantor, a 28-year-old nurse who stopped Jones at the parade to say she’d voted for her. “I want to keep San Antonio blue.”

If Pablos wins, it would be a major power shift in an overwhelmingly blue city.

Republicans currently control just one out of 10 San Antonio City Council seats, and Pablos has laid plans for a conservative approach to city government, including a sunset commission to reduce the size of city government and a think tank to advise on the city’s municipally owned utilities.

“San Antonio now has a clear choice, and I am confident they will reject Gina Jones for what she represents: more of the same,” Pablos said in a statement Saturday night. “I look forward to a robust, spirited debate over the next month.”

Notably absent from the May 3 race was an assortment of local groups that have been major players in past city elections that decided it was too risky to get involved in a race with so many candidates and few clear frontrunners.

The San Antonio Police Officers Association, the San Antonio firefighters’ union, the union representing city employees (AFSCME), the progressive Texas Organizing Project all declined to weigh in until at least the runoff.

San Antonio Report freelancer Amber Esparza contributed to this story.

Correction: This story has been updated to remove an inaccurate reference to Jones’ race.

In the final stretch before San Antonio’s May 3 municipal election, tech entrepreneur Beto Altamirano massively outspent the next highest-spending mayoral candidates and received help from a new PAC.

Altamirano and his supporting PAC, called SA Future, reported spending a total of about $465,000 in the past month. Of that, about $385,000 was from Altamirano’s campaign.

The only other candidates in a position to rival that type spending were Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8), who recently loaned his campaign large sums of personal money, former Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones, who has ties to major Democratic donors from two congressional races, and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, who was endorsed by a GOP PAC that set a massive budget for the mayoral race.

Campaign finance reports covering March 25 through April 23 were due Friday, shedding light on candidates’ fundraising and campaign spending in the final weeks leading up to early voting.

Pelaez, who submitted his report late, spent $282,000 on his campaign and received help from an outside group, San Antonio for Everyone, that’s running ads supporting him as well as general interest ads about the election.

Pablos’ campaign spent a fraction of what Altamirano and Pelaez spent, about $76,000. But combined with the pro-Pablos PAC, Texas Economic Fund, a total of about $300,000 was spent on his behalf.

Jones, who has led the race in public polling, had about $194,000 spent on her behalf, including from her campaign and a supporting PAC.

None of the other 27 mayoral candidates had anywhere close to as much money spent on their behalf, thanks in large part to the PAC money.

Candidates and the PACs supporting them can still cash checks and pay for goods and services up to election day and beyond, so these reports aren’t a complete picture of what will be spent on the May 3 election.

But they can offer a good sense of which candidates have the money needed to reach and turn out their voters in an otherwise crowded, confusing election.

From left, Beto Altamirano, John Courage, Rolando Pablos, Manny Pelaez, Gina Ortiz Jones, Melissa Cabello Havrda, Clayton Perry and Adriana Rocha Garcia participate in the San Antonio Report and Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce’s mayoral debate. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report

Read about all of the candidates in the San Antonio Report’s 2025 Voter Guide.

If no candidate takes at least 50% of the vote on May 3, the top two finishers will advance to a June 7 runoff — as is expected for the mayoral race and several council races — and will file additional campaign finance reports before that race.

Early voting runs through April 29, and voters can choose from any of these 46 early voting locations. Election day is May 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

These are the San Antonio Report’s top takeaways from the latest fundraising reports.

1. A top spending tier emerges

San Antonio is electing a new mayor this year and in a field of 27 candidates, four stand out from the pack in terms of personal fundraising.

These candidates have also received significant help from outside groups spending on their behalf, most of which only appeared for the first time on the most recent campaign finance reports.

On the April 23 reports, other top spenders included: Former Councilman Clayton Perry, who spent $80,000, Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4), who spent $60,000 and Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6), who spent $35,000.

Councilman John Courage (D9), who was polling in second place earlier this month, spent just $5,500.

None of these candidates appear to have PACs supporting them to the same degree as the four spending leaders.

The widening fundraising gap comes as many local political groups, like the police and fire unions, decided not to endorse in the crowded mayor’s race until the runoff, if at all.

2. State and federal PACs pile in

So far two candidates, Pablos and Jones, are benefitting from the help of PACs that want San Antonio’s mayoral race to be a springboard for higher office.

San Antonio caps the amount mayoral candidates can raise from individual donors at $1,000 per election cycle, while PACs can raise unlimited funds, they’re just not allowed to coordinate directly with a candidate’s campaign.

Pablos, a close ally of Texas GOP leaders, is receiving help from the Gov. Greg Abbott-aligned Texas Economic Fund, which wants to “strengthen the conservative bench by targeting pivotal local elections.”

Pablos served as Secretary of State and chair of the Public Utility Commission, and the group has been running TV ads saying he has experience bringing jobs to Texas and that he will work to lower utility costs.

Though its leaders telegraphed plans for a $2 million budget, campaign finance reports covering Jan 1. to April 23 say it has raised a total of roughly $260,000 and spent $243,000, almost all of which took place in the past month.

Meanwhile Jones, who ran for Congress twice as a Democrat, is getting help from a group called Fields of Change — a subsidiary of a PAC that helps Democrats at the federal level.

Based out of Georgia, the group says it aims to elect the “next generation of new, dynamic leaders” though state and local races, and it reported spending $105,000 in the San Antonio mayoral race.

Jones has also received endorsements from several national groups that supported her in the past, such as a PAC aligned with Democratic Congresswomen and Vote Vets, which supports veteran candidates who are running as Democrats.

3. Business-aligned group backs Beto

A PAC supporting Altamirano, who owns an artificial intelligence company, appeared for the first time on the most recent reports, indicating it spent $60,000 on his behalf.

The group, SA Future, listed as its treasurer Raul Lomeli, the cofounder of a tech company and a former San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce chair. Lomeli did not respond to a voicemail requesting comment for the story.

The PAC collected contributions from just three sources: $1,000 from a pro-charter school PAC, and $35,000 each from two San Antonio businesses with virtually no online presence. One of them, Blue Hole Ventures, LLC, appears to have been registered four months ago.

Altamirano has put significant personal resources to the race, and recently loaned himself another $75,000, according to his most recent report.

His campaign faced an ethics complaint filed by a San Antonio resident earlier this month alleging that some of his contributions appear to have come from limited liability corporations with untraceable sources due to their out-of-state incorporation. The matter is being reviewed by an outside attorney the city hired to look into it.

4. Dark money for Manny

Pelaez, an attorney who represents the city’s Northwest side, also has an outside group supporting him in the race, called San Antonio for Everyone, which reported spending $136,000 in the past 30 days.

The group is registered as a 501c4 social welfare group, meaning it doesn’t have to disclose its donors. It’s also limited in how much of its money can be spent on direct political advocacy.

San Antonio for Everyone is running ads specifically promoting Pelaez, but more than half of its spending must go toward ads promoting apolitical causes like civic engagement, or encouraging people to vote, said Andrew Cates, an attorney for the group.

The group is running TV ads promoting Pelaez’s support for local law enforcement, as well as more generic get-out-the-vote ads.

Documents filed with KSAT-TV, where the ads were booked, list an employee of San Antonio-based Viva Politics consulting firm as San Antonio for Everyone’s point of contact.

The same campaign firm runs Pelaez’s mayoral campaign.

5. Expensive race for downtown’s D1 council seat

Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1), who faces nine challengers in a tough reelection race, spent more than any other council member according to the most recent reports.

Kaur reported spending about $76,000 between March 24 and April 23, and the pro-business group San Antonio Equity Alliance put $25,000 into the race on her behalf.

Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) speaks at the District 1 Candidate Forum at Vogt Auction Gallery on March 21. Credit: Brenda Bazán / San Antonio Report

District 1 includes much of downtown and the neighborhoods stretching north between Interstate 10 and U.S. 281 — home to major development projects like the new Missions’ Minor League Baseball stadium, Project Marvel and plans for high-density housing along a new rapid transit route on San Pedro Avenue.

Kaur has supported those initiatives, but her opponents this year include several candidates who’ve fought against city development projects at City Hall.

Top-spending opponents included Patty Gibbons, a former Greater Harmony Hills Neighborhood Association President, who spent about $15,000, and Susan Strawn, who served on the River Road Neighborhood Association board, and spent about $11,000.

Bar owner Julisa Medrano-Guerra, whose campaign has funded an onslaught of ads attacking Kaur, is self-funding a campaign that’s raised just $1,000 since she joined the race in February, but spent a total of about $63,000.

6. Pro-charter school group has deep pockets

A new education-focused group appears poised to become a major player in local elections, reporting about $385,000 in the bank for one of its political arms.

The umbrella group, Futuro San Antonio, says its goal is increasing “voter engagement around equitable access to great public education,” and it held a candidate forum in City Council District 6 this year asking council hopefuls how they would work to get the city more involved in public education, which is overseen by the state.

Futuro’s leaders have been meeting with candidates for mayor and council and contributed to numerous campaigns this election cycle, though it’s only formally endorsed one candidate, Sakib Shaikh, a realtor and landlord running in City Council District 8.

Some public school advocates have been critical of the group, saying its leaders aren’t being clear about their goals or their funding sources.

In a tax document, Futuro says its purpose is to “advance high-quality charter school programs and broad access thereto.” No donors are listed on the report for its PAC, Families for Education and Opportunity, which spent $26,000 helping Shaikh.

Another arm of the group reported spending about $18,600, including money for canvassers in the District 8 race.

Shaikh’s campaign and Futuro’s political work are both run by the campaign consulting firm Düable, which says it has dedicated staff for each that do not coordinate.

7. A high-profile school board race

San Antonio ISD has two school board seats on the May 3 ballot, but an unusual race in District 1 has drawn big spending and candidate endorsements from congressmen, state lawmakers, unions and a business PAC.

District 1 Trustee Sarah Sorensen is regarded as a rising star among progressive circles, and faces a challenge from a well-known former Democratic state lawmaker, Mike Villarreal.

The latest fundraising reports indicate Sorensen raised about $19,000 and spent about $15,000. Of that, about $13,500 came from the San Antonio Alliance, the district’s teacher and staff union.

Villarreal reported raising about $13,000 and spending about $18,000 in the same span.

In total this year, Villarreal raised about $33,000 for the race, to Sorensen’s $25,000.

Bonus: Alamo Colleges Bond

A group called I Support Alamo Colleges has spent about $340,000 this year promoting the nearly $1 billion Alamo Colleges District bond.

The bond is backed by local business groups that say the county’s community college system is critical for workforce development. Among the biggest donors to the PAC were architects, developers and companies that would compete for the projects it pays for.

San Antonio’s Marmon Mok Architecture and Alamo Architects contributed $5,000 each. Dallas-based Structure Tone Southwest contributed $15,000, as did Joeris General Contractors, which has offices across Texas.

Clarification: This story has been updated with additional information about 501c4 social welfare groups’ spending rules.

San Antonio’s 2025 mayoral race has become one of the city’s most crowded in recent years, with 27 individuals gunning for the position. The final debate occurred on April 8 at the Carver Community Cultural Center. Eight candidates were invited to participate in a debate hosted and moderated by the San Antonio Report alongside San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

The candidates were selected based on local polling, fundraising data from 2024 and 2025 and major endorsements. The panel included City Council members Adriana Rocha Garcia (District 4), Melissa Cabello Havrda (District 6), Manny Pelaez (District 8),John Courage (District 9), former council member Clayton Perry (District 10), tech entrepreneur Beto Altamirano, former Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos.

Moderated by San Antonio Report Government and Politics Reporter Andrea Drusch, the 90-minute debate featured tense exchanges, particularly between candidates with City Hall experience and those new to the political scene. Council members defended their experience in city management, often questioning the readiness of their less-experienced opponents.

Cabello Havrda, Rocha Garcia, Pelaez and Courage emphasized their understanding of municipal operations and suggested that those without city experience should have first pursued smaller offices. In response, opponents accused incumbents of failing to adequately address long-standing issues, such as poverty, crime and housing affordability.

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Cabello Havrda took aim at her opponents, specifically Pelaez and others who she claimed lacked “real” experience.

“What you’re going to hear from our friend named La Chancla,” she said, referencing Pelaez, “is that he spent $300,000 with no money to buy your vote. Ms. Jones is going to tell you that there’s no time to waste, and I absolutely agree with you. There’s no time to waste on any candidate that doesn’t have city experience, that doesn’t know the first thing about running a city.”

Courage added, “I’m here to convince you not to vote for somebody who shouldn’t be mayor,” reiterating a common theme from the incumbents.

Top fundraisers in the race include Ortiz Jones, Altamirano, Pablos and Pelaez, who recently loaned his campaign $324,000 in time to appear on campaign finance reports.

Ortiz Jones highlighted her leadership experience as Under Secretary of the Air Force. She assisted and oversaw the Air Force and Space Force while managing an annual budget of more than $173 billion. Altamirano, founder of the San Antonio-based tech startup Irys, cited his business background and early career in Democratic politics as preparation for leading strategic economic development in the city.

Pablos, backed by a multimillion-dollar political action committee aligned with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, sparred with Pelaez over job creation. When Pelaez took credit for economic gains, Pablos responded that the governor’s office was responsible for bringing those jobs to San Antonio.

Candidates without City Council experience pressed the incumbents on a lack of progress on housing, transportation and public health. Pablos called out persistent economic inequality, saying, “I think it’s time to address the elephant in the room, and that’s pervasive poverty, generational poverty, systemic poverty. Sixty years ago, the poverty rate in San Antonio was 18%. Today it’s 18% — nothing has changed. Broken promises. We haven’t moved the needle.”

During a lightning round, candidates were asked to share their positions on the plan quickly. One of the night’s most controversial topics was Project Marvel, a proposed $4 billion downtown entertainment district in District 1 that would relocate the San Antonio Spurs from the East Side.

Altamirano expressed support for the project but not with the use of public funds, a sentiment Cabello Havrda and Perry echoed. Cabello Havrda emphasized that the initiative must be community-led, while Perry opposed any use of taxpayer dollars. Rocha Garcia said she would support a public-private partnership, and Courage expressed support for the project’s original intent — improving the Alamodome, Hemisfair and the convention center.

Pelaez expressed skepticism, stating, “I’m going to be a champion of neighborhoods. If this stadium doesn’t benefit every neighborhood in San Antonio, then I’m not going to support it. If it doesn’t help schools and child care and learning, I’m not going to support it.”

Ortiz Jones said she is committed to getting more answers about the project, and Pablos reiterated his focus on uplifting neighborhoods citywide.

Public safety was also a crucial topic, with Rocha Garcia, Cabello Havrda, Pelaez and Courage highlighting their records on crime reduction and plans to continue working with law enforcement. Political newcomers questioned whether existing policies were effective enough and raised concerns about public trust in policing.

Most candidates agreed that the city must take more aggressive steps to address the affordability gap for housing. Proposals included revisiting zoning policies, creating more affordable housing units and implementing measures to prevent gentrification.

As the campaign continues, voters can weigh experience against fresh perspectives and debate whether the city needs steady leadership or bold change. With high-stakes issues like crime, housing and Project Marvel at the forefront, San Antonio’s crowded mayoral race is far from settled.

Watch the full debate here.