Jalen McKee-Rodriguez isn’t daunted by the fact that 11 other candidates are running to represent the East Side on San Antonio City Council. Indeed, he was expecting the District 2 race to be a crowded field. As we chat over Zoom about his life and career, I gain a deeper understanding of his sense of…
Council Candidate Norberto ‘Geremy’ Landin sees District 5’s hope and resiliency
When Norberto “Geremy” Landin appears on my computer screen, I compliment his guayabera with its two vertical rows of sewn pleats running along the front. “Oh, thank you,” he replies from his West Side home. “I’m infamous for wearing a ton of guayaberas.” Landin, who turned 25 on New Year’s Eve, is running for the…
San Antonio Council District 1 hopeful Mario Bravo vies to jump from activism to public office
When District 1 council candidate Mario Kelly Bravo greets me through my computer screen for a Zoom call, a colorful art piece on the wall behind him captures my attention. “My parents bought that in Mexico,” he explains. “I have a lot of stuff from Mexico here.” Like his appreciation for art, Bravo’s verve for…
Gina Ortiz Jones Listens to the Experts – and Voters – on COVID-19
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Democratic nominee Gina Ortiz Jones hasn’t been elected to serve the people of Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. Even so, the COVID-19 crisis has inspired her to open a virtual field office to help residents connect to health care and financial resources. “We are stepping up and, in many…
SD 19 Candidate Freddy Ramirez Leaves the Big Words at Home
Originally published in the San Antonio Current Bexar County Prosecutor Freddy Ramirez faces formidable primary opponents as he vies for a chance to unseat Republican State Sen. Pete Flores. State Rep. Roland Gutierrez has served five terms in his current seat, and Xochil Peña Rodriguez is the daughter of former U.S. Rep. Ciro Davis Rodriguez.…
San Antonio-Based LGBTQ Activist Jim Kane Remembers Pride’s Past and Looks to the Future
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. When Donald J. Trump was elected president in 2016, Jim Kane decided it was time to come out of retirement. With his 30 years of experience as an LGBTQ activist and as the former co-editor and publisher of San Antonio’s 2005 gay newspaper, The Bexar Vortex, he felt…
LGBTQ Flash Mob Organizer Ramos Abuabara Will Run to Unseat U.S. Rep. Will Hurd
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Rosalinda “Rosey” Ramos Abuabara, organizer of a 2017 LGBTQ pride flash mob across the street from the home of then-mayor Ivy Taylor, has filed to run for the congressional seat now held by Republican Will Hurd. Her bid to represent the 23rd District will pit her in a…
County Commissioner Tommy Calvert Thrives in the Belly of the Beast
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. It could be argued that Tommy Calvert’s 2014 election as Bexar County Commissioner marked a turning point in local leadership. It wasn’t only that he was both the youngest person and first African American person to be elected to the position, but also because his background in civil…
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg: Good to the Last Punch
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. On a quiet Tuesday afternoon, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg is sitting alone at a window table at Tito’s Restaurant in Southtown, typing into his phone. As I walk toward him, I muse on the time our paths crossed in 2013. We were both guests on Chris Duel’s…
Outgoing San Antonio City Councilman Rey Saldaña Ain’t Afraid of No Ten-Foot Crocodile
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. With clear eyes and an effortless smile, San Antonio City Councilman Rey Saldaña is looking back on his eight-year tenure without a single regret. As he approaches his final days in office, his administrative workspace is filled with memories and milestones commemorating his role as the neighborhood-hero-makes-good representative…