Aside from electing a new mayor, San Antonio’s 10-member City Council is also headed for a shakeup next year as three longtime members leave their seats to run for mayor, and a fourth is term-limited from seeking reelection.
Crowded races are already shaping up to replace Councilmembers Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4), Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6) and Manny Pelaez (D8), who’ve jumped over to the crowded race to replace Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
Another rare opening exists in District 9, where Councilman John Courage launched and folded a mayoral campaign and is now retiring after eight years.
Candidates running to replace them, as well as San Antonio’s next mayor, will have a long runway to implement their vision for the city before facing reelection in 2029. Among the local policy changes San Antonio voters approved the last time they went to the polls was a move from two-year to four-year City Council terms — aimed at giving council members more time to learn the ropes before they’re thrust back into campaigning.
A new generation of council members will soon put that theory to the test, when a host of new faces are elected in the May 3 municipal election.
Candidate filing will remain open through Feb. 14, at which point the field will be set. But for now, here’s a look at those seeking to stay on City Council, as well as the field of potential newcomers:
District 1 candidates
Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) pulled off an upset as a political newcomer in 2023, defeating an embattled incumbent to represent most of downtown.
She’s an education consultant who brought a business perspective and centrist approach to the dais, but struggled to build a steady team in her office. She’s currently on her third chief of staff.
The district now includes some neighborhoods that were previously a part of Northside District 9, and one of those former D9ers, Greater Harmony Hills Neighborhood Association President Patty Gibbons, was the first to challenge Kaur this year, citing concerns about the city’s effort to bring urban density too close to legacy neighborhoods.
Other candidates include:
Anita Marie Kegley, a professional home inspector who has run for Congress as a Republican and leads the local Church and Politics political group
Matthew Guana, an environmental scientist who has run unsuccessfully in District 1 in the past
District 2 candidates
Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) was one of two candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America elected to the City Council in 2021. Known for his outspoken progressive views, he earned a speaking slot at the Texas Democratic Convention last year.
McKee-Rodriguez drew nine challengers in 2023, but was reelected with 56% of the vote.
This year fewer opponents have signed up to run against him:
Sonya Moore lists her profession as “unemployed”
Stephanie Powel is an Air Force civilian employee
Carla-Joy Sisco is an information technology business relationship manager
Kizzie Thomas is the dean of empowerment and culture at Essence Preparatory Public School
District 3 candidates
Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran (D3) was first elected in 2021, succeeding her sister Rebecca Viagran, who represented the district for eight years. She chairs the city council’s Audit Committee.
She’s drawn just one challenger, Kendra Wilkerson, who is a teacher.
District 4 candidates
When Rocha Garcia threw her name in for mayor in August, longtime staffer Edward Mungia, who worked under both Rocha Garcia and Rey Saldaña and served on South San ISD’s board, was among the early candidates to replace her.
Current South San ISD Trustee Ernesto Arrellano Jr., who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for Bexar County Commissioner in Precinct 1, was also among the early comers.
In more recent weeks, Johnathon Cruz, the principal at McNair Middle School, and Jose “Pepe” Martinez, who owns a trucking company, have also submitted treasurer’s reports and filed to appear on the ballot.
District 5 candidates
Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5) was among the new progressive voices elected in 2021. She was reelected to her Westside council seat with roughly 63% of the vote in 2023.
She chairs the City Council’s Community Health Committee.
Challengers include:
Pablo Arriaga III, who works for the San Antonio Police Department
Raymond Zavala, who is retired and has run unsuccessfully for mayor in the past
District 6 candidates
The field is looking far different than it did six months ago, when a handful of prospective candidates made their pitches at a Thunderbird Hills Neighborhood Association Meeting.
At that point, Cabello Havrda was still months away from formally launching her mayoral campaign, but legislative staffer Donovon Rodriguez appeared to be a formidable potential successor.
Since then Rodriguez has folded his campaign, and seven other candidates have filed to appear on the ballot.
Candidates include:
Lawson Alaniz-Picasso, a former District 1 staffer who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in Bexar County’s Precinct 1 this year
Chris Baecker, an economics professor and leader in the activist group InfuseSA, which tracks city officials’ activity
Vanessa Chevez, a former district director in D7 who also worked for Neighborhood Housing Services
Ric Galvan, a District 5 projects manager and progressive political organizer
Kelly Ann Gonzalez, a political organizer who works for the union representing city employees
Gerald Lopez, a former Northside ISD board member who now served on the Alamo Colleges Board of Trustees
Carlos Antonio Raymond, a retired veteran
District 7 candidates
Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) emerged from a crowded race in 2023 to represent this near West Side district, which has been a political launchpad for council members in the past.
She brought a loaded corporate resume and endorsements from pro-business groups, and has spent much of her first term focused on addressing problems at the city’s Animal Care Services Department.
So far she faces just one opponent so far, Trinity Haddox, who listed her occupation as a political candidate.
District 8 candidates
The race to replace Pelaez is attracting some of the most attention, with candidates jockeying to represent the Northwest San Antonio district as early as last March. One potential contender, Pelaez’s mom Marta Pelae, decided not to run.
Candidates so far include:
Cesario Garcia, a conservative activist who has run unsuccessfully for City Council in the past
Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, a former Nirenberg chief of staff who previously ran for Bexar County judge in 2022
Paula McGee, an attorney who has lined up some high-profile endorsements
Cindy Onyekwelu, a software engineering contractor for the U.S. Air Force within Port San Antonio
Sakib Shaikh, a realtor, landlord and small business owner who briefly worked for the councilman in 2017
District 9 candidates
Though council races aren’t partisan, District 9 is regarded as one of the most conservative-leaning council district, long represented by Courage, a longtime Democratic activist.
The race to replace him has drawn one candidate from conservative circles, Misty Spears, who currently serves as Commissioner Grant Moody’s (Pct. 3) constituent services director and who ran unsuccessfully for District Clerk in 2022.
Daniel Mezza, an entrepreneur and Texas A&M graduate who founded “Puro Nitro Coffee,” is also running.
District 10 candidates
Councilman Marc Whyte (D10), the council’s lone conservative, had a rocky start with a DWI arrest months into the job. While he appeared vulnerable after the 2023 arrest, so far this race he’s raised more money than many mayoral hopefuls and kept his loyal base of Northside neighborhood leaders on board.
So far just one candidate has signed up to run against him, Erik Litaker, a chef.
