Up for election
Upon his announcement, Pablos joined three City Council members Adriana Rocha Garcia, John Courage and Manny Pelaez, and Beto Altamirano, a business entrepreneur, in the bid to replace term-limited Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
Pablos is a longtime San Antonio resident with a record of public service. He served as the 111th Texas secretary of state, commissioner of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and chair of the Texas Racing Commission, according to an Aug. 27 news release.
Additionally, as a senior adviser to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Mexican and international affairs, Pablos has played a role in advancing Texas’ strategic interests in North America and the global economy. Pablos is also an attorney, educator and economic development executive.
According to city documents, third-term District 4 City Council member Garcia is a lifelong San Antonio resident. Garcia earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Incarnate Word, and a doctorate in advertising from University of Texas Moody College of Communication. She is an associate marketing professor at Our Lady of Lake University.
She has held a variety of administrative and consulting positions in communications and marketing at organizations like Furniture for A Cause, SAMMinistries, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and Project QUEST.
In 2020, Garcia received the Women of Excellence Award from the National Foundation of Women Legislators and was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2022. Garcia formally announced her bid for mayor Aug. 13.
Courage, San Antonio District 9 City Council member, is the first sitting elected city leader to declare their intent to run for mayor, according to previous reporting by Community Impact. He is a former educator and U.S. Air Force veteran who was first elected to council in 2017.
During a Jan. 25 press conference at City Hall, Courage said he is prepared to lead the city and tackle issues like job creation, affordable housing, managing growth, property tax relief, increasing support for small businesses and educational initiatives. He is in his fourth and final term as City Council member.
Pelaez, District 8 San Antonio City Council member, is an attorney and is serving his fourth and final term as City Council member. He announced his bid for mayor April 9. According to previous reporting by Community Impact, Pelaez’s mayoral campaign will focus on a variety of issues, including public safety, homelessness, family violence, helping senior citizens, energy resilience and downtown revitalization.
Altamirano, a local business owner, formally launched his campaign on June 1 at The Friendly Spot bar in Southtown.
According to previous reporting by Community Impact, 34-year-old Altamirano is the youngest contender in the upcoming 2025 municipal elections. He is the co-founder and CEO for Irys, formerly Cityflag, which developed the city’s 311 app.
Altamirano graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in government, and a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
According to his campaign’s website, his mayoral campaign will focus on economic development, infrastructure and public safety.
What happens next?
Candidate filing will be held from Jan. 15-Feb. 14 for the May 3 general election.
