Mayoral race’s funding booms
After a slow start, the two front-runners in the San Antonio mayoral race are raising more money than ever.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg raised nearly $318,000 from Jan. 1 to March 22, a campaign finance report filed Thursday shows — more than double the amount he raised at this point in his campaign two years ago. His campaign spent more than $197,000 in that time period.
But Nirenberg started out this race with less in the bank than he did in the last election — and has less cash on hand than he did then. The mayor had about $190,000 in his coffers as of March 22, some $94,000 less than he did at this point in the 2019 campaign.
Likewise, mayoral contender Greg Brockhouse nearly doubled his fundraising, compared with two years ago, after starting out the year with nothing in the bank except a $17,000 loan. The former city councilman brought in $100,755 from Jan. 1 to March 22 and spent more than $68,000 in that time frame.
Brockhouse had more than $25,000 in his sav
ings account at the end of the reporting period — compared with the roughly $15,000 he had at this point in the last mayoral race.
The former councilman said Nirenberg should have raised more money, given that he has a team of more than 100 business and community leaders — “100 of the biggest fat cats,” Brockhouse said — to help him bring in funds for his re-election.
“I doubled and Ron is abysmal,” Brockhouse said.
A representative for the Nirenberg campaign did not return a request for comment.
Brockhouse faces his own fundraising troubles. He’s campaigning without the financial support of the fire and police unions — which heavily backed him when he tried to knock off Nirenberg two years ago. The unions spent more than $530,000 during that race, helping Brockhouse, who once was a political consultant for them, make up a financing gap with the mayor.
In a dramatic move, the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association decided last month not to endorse any candidate in the mayor’s race. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Police Officers Association is trying to defeat a ballot initiative pushed by police reform activists to strip the union of its right to collectively bargain its contract with the city — a move proponents say would take away the union’s ability to unduly shield officers accused of misconduct.
Police union President John “Danny” Diaz has said it’s likely the union will endorse in the mayor’s race — though it hasn’t yet.
Nirenberg last month offered an olive branch to the union by telling Diaz he supports collective bargaining for police officers — though the mayor later insisted he’s not taking sides in the ballot initiative fight.
Brockhouse said he knew the police union would have its hands full with the ballot proposition fight and that his team made moves early on to compensate. But he has downplayed the impact of the firefighters’ neutrality on the mayor’s race.
“I knew this wasn’t going to be the same race, and you make adjustments for it,” Brockhouse said.
City Council money
The cost of San Antonio’s 10 City Council races is ticking up — surpassing $585,000.
District 2 Councilwoman Jada Andrews-sullivan out-raised a crowded field challenging her for the East Side seat and tried to close a fundraising gap with her former staffer Jalen Mckee-rodriguez, a math teacher at Madison High School who has proved an effective fundraiser.
Andrews-sullivan raised more than $21,000 from Jan. 1 to March 22 and spent $8,400. The firstterm councilwoman had $12,679 in the bank at the end of the reporting period.
Mckee-rodriguez, who was Andrews-sullivan’s communications director, brought in some $17,000, spent nearly $25,000 and had almost $9,000 in his bank account.
But Mckee-rodriguez has still out-raised and out-spent his former boss this election.
Andrews-sullivan and Mckeerodriguez aren’t the only big fundraisers in the District 2 race. Kristi Villanueva, president of the West San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, raised $16,575 and spent more than $17,000.
In the race to represent District 1 in the city’s urban core, Councilman Roberto Treviño out-raised environmentalist Mario Bravo by less than $6,000 and out-spent him by a 4-1 ratio in his bid for a final term. But Treviño ended the period with less money in the bank — a little more than $20,000, compared with Bravo’s $34,000.
On the Northeast Side, District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry kept a substantial financial lead over his opponents. The council’s lone conservative raised more than $40,000 in his quest for a third term. He spent more than $8,300 and held on to more than $85,000 at the end of the fundraising period.
Perry’s main challenger, Ezra Johnson, vice chair of the VIA Metropolitan Transit board, spent more than Perry — about $14,000 — but by comparison raised just $19,000. Johnson had some $14,000 in the bank.
In neighboring District 9, incumbent John Courage brought in more than $33,000, spent more than $31,000 and had nearly $24,000 left to spend. Conservative challenger Erika Moe, an attorney, raked in more than $23,000. She spent some $39,000 and had more than $11,000 in cash on hand as of March 22.
In a crowded race for an open seat in District 3, Phyllis Viagran is outpacing her opponents as she tries to keep the seat in the family.
She is the sister of outgoing Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, who has termed out of the Southeast Side seat.
Phyllis Viagran brought in more than $15,000 and had nearly $10,000 on hand. But she was out-spent by architect Marcello Martinez — who spent more than $14,000, compared with the more than $10,000 Viagran spent. Still, she had about $2,000 more in the bank than Martinez.
Meanwhile, former state Rep. Tomas Uresti, brother of imprisoned former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, raised about $6,700 and spent $5,100 in his bid for the District 3 seat.
Norberto “Geremy” Landin, an executive for San Antonio South Texas Allergy and Asthma Medical Professionals, out-raised and out-spent his 10 opponents in the open race to replace outgoing District 5 Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales. Landin raised more than $15,000 and spent some $17,000. He said in a text message he has about $7,400 on hand.
Realtor Marie Crabb raised just $4,500 in comparison, but she spent $14,000 and had $13,000 leftover. Crabb also reported a $20,000 loan.
The remaining council incumbents — Adriana Rocha Garcia, Melissa Cabello Havrda, Ana Sandoval and Manny Peláez — held comfortable financial advantages over their opponents.
Fix SAPD, the campaign behind the ballot measure to gut the police union, continued its fundraising streak — raising more than $245,000 and spending nearly $146,000. The political action committee had about $88,000 in its coffers at the end of the period.