SAN ANTONIO — As San Antonio prepares to welcome an estimated 1 million more people within the next 20 years, candidates running for District 8 say the Northwest Side of the city plays a big role in that growth.
- Election Day set for Saturday, May 4
- 3 candidates vying for City Council District 8
- Much focus on growth and economic development
"We're not ready. All those people, they're showing up with their cars, but they're not showing up with the roads. We've got to be planning out. We've got to be really invested in it's infrastructure, sidewalks, streets, drainage, sewer systems," incumbent Manny Pelaez said.
Pelaez says he has more to do, and would like to explore more options for the future.
"What I've decided is just to go back to basics. My chunk of the budget for District 8 really focuses almost exclusively on three things: one, streets and sidewalks; two, intelligent traffic systems, which we're going to be piloting in the Medical Center first as part of this new initiative called an innovation zone; and then three, more police and fire," he said.
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Public safety is a focus for candidate Tony Valdivida.
"I think one of the things I have a strong grounding in is budgeting and also forecasting and understanding that it's the assumptions that go into the forecast that can make or break. You need to really question how those assumptions are made and what the implications of those assumptions are," Valdivia said.
Valdivia comes with a decade of experience in the financial industry.
"Well I think one of the biggest changes with the fireman's contract. We want to make sure to pay them what they deserve but also within the constraints of the current city budget and I think that's where somebody like me can come in with a neutral view," he said.
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The third candidate, Frankie Gonzales-Wolf, also believes she brings something unique to the table. A main focus for her is civic engagement.
"I think it's time our local government start to be very depictive of its community. I'm part of its community, and as a very proud trans woman I think it's time we start seeing our local government be more depictive of who we are and what we represent," she said.
She's been working behind the scenes in politics for 23 years and hopes a voice on council could help some of her top concerns like traffic, public safety, and small business expansion.
"I think right now the city partners with the state and the county in order to provide a lot of incentives for very large corporations and we don't do enough of those type of incentives for our small businesses," Gonzales-Wolf said.
Early voting begins Monday, April 22. The general election is Saturday, May 4.