SAN ANTONIO – Gina Ortiz Jones was sworn into office Wednesday morning, beginning a term that will last through May 2029.
Jones beat former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos in the June 7 runoff election with 54% of the vote. She took the oath of office Wednesday after the city council canvassed the election results.
Jones is the third woman to hold the office, which is her first elected position.
A former U.S. Air Force officer, she served as Under Secretary of the Air Force during the Biden administration. She also made two failed congressional bids in 2018 and 2020.
When asked what her first official action would be, Jones referenced the city’s previously announced review of the deadly flooding events on June 11 and 12.
“So making sure that we are all aware of -making sure that that is appropriate in scope, not only for the engineering and infrastructure-related items as a result of that, but also make sure our processes and policies as it relates to extreme weather events were sufficient,” Jones told reporters.
Jones said she will leave Thursday for the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Tampa, Florida, and return Sunday.
When asked about her choice to leave town the day after taking office, she said “their conference apparently wouldn’t wait for me."
“I think it’s a great opportunity to engage with folks that are similarly thinking about pragmatic solutions and implementing them in real time,” she said. “And obviously that’s what mayors do, so I’m going to go work with my colleagues. I’m going to make sure we bring all of that good knowledge here to San Antonio.”
New faces
Jones was joined on the dais by four other newcomers: Councilman Edward Mungia (D4), Councilman Ric Galvan (D6), Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8), and Misty Spears (D9).
Mungia was sworn in earlier this month, after winning his race in the May 3 election outright. The other three were sworn in Wednesday, having won their positions in the June 7 runoff.
Returning council members include Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1), Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran (D3), Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5), Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) and Councilman Marc Whyte (D10).
Per a voter-approved change to the city charter, the mayor and council members will all serve four-year terms instead of the previous two-year terms.
The new council faces a budget deficit, thorny questions about funding a new NBA arena, and uncertain federal funding streams.
Outgoing council
Former District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia had already left the council at the end of May, but Wednesday was the last day for former Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6), Manny Pelaez (D8) and John Courage (D9).
Nirenberg was forced out by term limits while all four council members made failed mayoral bids. Even if they hadn’t run, Pelaez and Courage would have been forced out by term limits, too.
During some of his final comments as mayor, Nirenberg said he believes the common cause in San Antonio is ensuring everyone has an opportunity to thrive.
“When we are at our best across sectors, across political jurisdictions, across belief systems, we are all working in alignment towards that goal,” he said.
Read also:
