San Antonio – A new face joined the San Antonio City Council Thursday as business attorney Marc Whyte took his first oath of office as the District 10 councilman.
Whyte was sworn in alongside seven incumbent council members who also won their races in the May 6 election. Mayor Ron Nirenberg was also sworn in for a fourth and final term.
The new North Side councilman received 58% of the vote in a seven-way race. He takes the reins from Clayton Perry, who decided not to run for a fourth term after causing a drunken hit-and-run crash in November.
Thursday’s meeting was a quick one, and Whyte is looking ahead to taking up meatier issues. He told reporters he wants to max out the homestead exemption for city property taxes and secure money to put more police on the street during the upcoming budget process.
Like his predecessor, Whyte is a conservative politician on a largely liberal council and may end up as the lone dissenting vote as Perry often did. However, he says that is not what he wants.
“The goal is to find five others and get to six. But I’m not going to compromise any of my values and my beliefs just for the sake of not being the lone vote,” Whyte told KSAT from behind the desk in his new office.
The next city council is not fully set yet. District 1 Councilman Mario Bravo was forced into a runoff by challenger Sukh Kaur, and two newcomers, Marina Alderete Gavito and Dan Rossiter, are vying for the open District 7 seat, which Rosie Castro is filling on an interim basis.
Early voting for the June 10 runoff has already begun and will last through June 6.