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…
San Antonio’s Downtown Councilman Roberto Treviño Strives to Strike a Balance
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. I’m sitting across from Roberto C. Treviño in his office, its walls full of art by local creators. “You see, my office is full of art because I don’t have a window,” he says with a warm, raspy voice. It was this love of art, in conjunction with…
S.A. Councilman Manny Pelaez Can Take the Political Body Shots – Erm, Body Blows
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Councilman Manny Pelaez seems a little caught off guard when I ask him about his decade-long experience as an improv troupe member and stand-up comedian. Still, he takes the question in stride. “Who told you that?” he asks. When I reveal my source, he nods in a circumspect…
Political Ironwoman Shirley Gonzales Is All About Going the Distance
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales is sipping her cappuccino under a poster for the 2016 San Antonio Film Festival at Shotgun House Coffee Roasters, a little piece of Oslo in the heart of the West Side. Dressed in a pink sweater and a taffy-colored scarf, she’s a portrait of political…
Justin Rodriguez Is Back and Ready to Focus on Ideas, Not Ideology
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. On January 12, a carefully curated tableau vivant sat behind former San Antonio mayor Julian Castro when he announced his candidacy for U.S. president at the West Side’s Plaza Guadalupe. That multicultural tapestry represented many cultures and walks of life, but it also rewarded the city’s political elite…
State Rep. Diego Bernal is Glad You Finally Think Public Ed Is Cool
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. I’m sitting across from Democratic State Rep. Diego Bernal and he’s telling me that his mother and I are neck and neck in tracking his whole political career. In honor of the holiday season, I thought I’d demand a recount. Bernal became this column’s inaugural subject in 2011,…
Ray Norris Is Tying a Yellow Ribbon ’Round the Live Oak Tree
Jade Esteban Estrada interviews the artistic director of the Live Oak Singers. Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Ray Norris was 11 years old when he got on stage and sang his first solo. Dressed in a sequin jacket and accompanied by back-up singers, he sang “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak…
H. Drew Galloway and His Millennial Hustle
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. I’m sitting across from H. Drew Galloway at Estate Coffee Shop on the city’s East Side. As the executive director of MOVE Texas, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to civic education and leadership development, Galloway sees his work “as giving young people a voice in our democracy.” When he…
Jade Esteban Estrada: Meet Joe Gonzales, Who’s Defying Political Gravity
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Joe D. Gonzales is sitting across from me, giving me a much-needed refresher on his favorite Broadway musical Wicked. A silver statue of Lady Justice, one of the finest I’ve ever seen, stands behind him. The Democratic nominee for Bexar County district attorney gleefully explains the popular storyline,…