SAN ANTONIO - With early voting right around the corner, we are beginning our coverage of San Antonio's city elections.
- Election Day set for Saturday, May 4
- 5 candidates vying for City Council District 10
- Much focus on growth and economic development
We begin with District 10. It's a part of town with older neighborhoods, lots of green space, some traffic congestion, and home to voters who show up to the polls.
Five people are in the running for City Council District 10. Incumbent and military veteran Clayton Perry is hoping to keep his seat.
"Normally we'd get about $7 million a year in street maintenance and improvements. Over two years I was able to get an additional $28 million for our streets. Crime is another issue. We've been able to get 85 new police officers and EMS personnel for San Antonio and a good portion of those came up to District 10," Perry said.
If elected he says he'll continue to push for homestead exemption, drainage improvements, and mental health work.
"I have a unique background of 33 years of contract negotiation," said candidate Reinette King.
King is a former District 10 zoning commissioner. She has a passion for managing growth, but she has her top list of priorities if elected.
"That is streets, drainage, infrastructure, protecting the citizens and safety issues. That's the number one job. We don't have a budget for police for recruiting, and I think that's a very important change I want to make," she said.
Maria Perez is a nonprofit owner, a retail design expert, and long-time volunteer for several agencies in town.
"There's a lot of things going on in San Antonio when it comes to high crime, child abuse, domestic violence, DWIs, human trafficking," Perez said.
If elected she plans to advocate for public safety, homeowners, and our veterans.
"We need to help them with affordable housing - sustainable of course - we're working on a plan for that. We're working with contractors, and my campaign manager is one of them," she said.
"I am just like every resident in District 10," said candidate Linda Montellano.
Montellano prides herself on not being a career politician. The working mom and grandmother has her ideas for District 10 if elected.
"The first thing I would do is create public awareness to crime prevention, public awareness to the programs that are out there for our children, for our single moms," she said.
She says she'd also work to tackle growth and economic pressures for small business owners.
"Right now there is about a six-month wait for some children in the community to see a psychiatrist," said candidate Elise Kibler.
The final candidate is pediatrician Elise Kibler, who has done a lot of volunteer work in Central and South America.
"I've seen the effects of the victims of domestic violence, and I would like to represent the people in the community that I feel need more representation," Kibler said.
She's also passionate about education, transportation, and the environment, and she promises to push for progress if elected.
Early voting begins Monday, April 22. The general election is Saturday, May 4. We'll be running candidate profiles over the next few weeks.
